Love Me for Me
by MaidSlave
Summary: In collaboration with VKmangalover4ever. Before interviewing the mysterious Mr. Grey, Ana suffers a panic attack and bolts from the building. What will she do when she meets the mysterious man? Will he push her aside, or feel drawn to her? (No BDSM) All characters belong to E. L. James. No copyright intended.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Many people suffer from panic attacks at different times for different reasons. What you are about to read is a generalized summerization of what a panic attack feels like.**

"Welcome to Grey Enterprises and Holdings, you must be Ms. Kavanagh. I'm Theresa, I'll take your coat." I finally manage to look up at the smiling, prestigious blonde as she gets up from behind the marble gray desk and steps behind me to take my jacket.

"Um…actually I'm Anastasia Steele. Ms. Kavanagh is sick today so she…sent me." I'm hoping they won't kick me out. Kate has been fighting to get an interview with this guy the whole year. Her parents would be so disappointed if she wasn't able to get this interview for their company.

"That is perfectly fine Ms. Steele. Mr. Grey has not arrived yet. When he does, I'll send you up to his office on the fifteenth floor. Go ahead and have a seat in our waiting area."

"Okay…thank you." I blindly walk over to a chair, straighten out my navy skirt, and sit. I fiddle with the tails of my floral shirt then my navy blazer. Finally I resort to folding the corners of the paper with Kate's questions on it. _Why am I so nervous,_ I think to myself. I mean I've never been good at being interviewed; hell I almost didn't make it through my interview at SIP. But the way Kate made this guy sound, he might bite my head off for no reason at all. _Oh crap, my heart is racing! Okay, let's think of something else._ I look at the wall adjacent to me and study the piece of abstract art. But my heart hasn't slowed down so I look out the window at the falling rain. Water usually calms me, but this is just reminding me of someone sweating. I begin to gently rub my scar on my left wrist back and forth, trying this time to use one of the breathing techniques I learned, but even that isn't helping. _Shit, this is really happening now! I…I…have to leave!_ I quickly stand and bolt through the doors. My feet have no stopping point as I feel the wind and rain hit my face. People have begun to stare, but I don't bother looking at them. I couldn't stand to be in there any longer, so I had to run. I feel the panic attack starting and I want to be as far away from people as possible. Suddenly, I crash into a wall of muscles and nearly fall backwards, but strong hands wrap around my center. My chest begins to tighten and the hyperventilation starts.

"Whoa, are you alright miss," the stranger's smooth voice asks. I begin to shake and I feel my face heat as I stare at his brown leather shoes. "Oh. It's alright, you're safe." His hands go up my back and begin to rub in circles, the heat making me calm down a little. My arms circle around his middle. He stiffens, but soon he holds me closer as my breathing slows down. My eyes are closed as I focus on getting my breathing back to normal, but I feel something else. Every nerve seems to be alive, almost jumping around in my skin. Normally after an attack, the only thing that feels out of place is my heartbeat, but not now. I also love the feel of his hands against my back, and I'm not too fond of getting in such proximities with a complete stranger. "Feel better," his soft voice brings me out of my thoughts. I step away from him but can only continue to look at his shoes. I miss his touch.

"Yes…um, thank you. I'm sorry I ran into you sir. I'm also sorry for holding you up from where ever you need to go." I feel my cheeks heating.

"It's alright, you don't need to apologize. You never really know when a panic attack is going to happen do you?" _How did he know?_ I finally get the nerve to look up at him. I do and we both gasp. He has unruly copper hair that has begun to stick to his forehead from the rain. His angular jar makes it look like an artist sculpted it, completed with full, kissable lips. He has a straight nose with flaring nostrils, and I lastly notice his intense gray eyes. _Damn, he's beautiful!_ His eyes soften and he forms a small smile. "Where were you running from?"

"Uh…um Grey Enterprises and Holdings." He takes off his suit jacket and wraps it around my shoulders, giving me enough fabric to place it over my head for coverage. "Thank you," I squeak.

"You're welcome. Why were you there?"

"I'm suppose to do an interview with Mr. Grey, but I guess…" I bite my lip and look away from his gorgeous face.

"Well I'm heading there now. I'm sure Mr. Grey will understand if you're a little late." He places his hand on the small of my back and we walk the block and a half back in silence. He opens the door for me and I see Theresa stand.

"Ms. Steele, are you alright?"

"Yes Theresa, thank you."

"Very well then, here is your paper you left behind. Good morning Mr. Grey." _Mr. Grey? Oh shit._

"Good morning Theresa." He says nonchalantly as he walks up behind me again and places his hand back where it was. He guides me over to the elevators and we get in.

"Mr. Grey, I am so sorry I ran into you! I didn't even know it was you."

"It's perfectly fine Ms. Steele. Are you nervous about interviewing me?" I bite my lip again and shake my head in confirmation. "Well you have nothing to be nervous about. I thought a Ms. Kavanagh was interviewing me."

"Well she was going to, but she caught the flu." He looks at me with an arched eyebrow and a smirk playing on his lips. "Kate is my roommate." I shrug out of his jacket. "Thank you again for letting me borrow your jacket."

"Anytime Ms. Steele." As I'm handing his jacket, our fingers touch and I feel a spark that makes me jump. He must have felt it too, because he looks as startled as I do.

"Sorry, must have been static electricity." He doesn't say anything, but he has a confused look on his brow. The doors open to another reception area, where another blonde is sitting behind a desk.

"Good morning Mr. Grey, here are the calls that have come in for you. Your 9 o'clock interview has arrived downstairs," she says as she hands him notes.

"Yes and she is with me Andrea. Please direct all calls to Ros while I'm with Ms. Steele." He places his hand back to where it was and guides me over to a door. He opens it and lets me walk in first. His office is wonderful! He has a whole wall that looks out to the Seattle skyline. His desk is gray with matching armchairs in front of it, with a table in between them. I look around and see he has another door, probably a bathroom, a light gray couch is near the main door, and there are paintings hung up on the walls. "Please have a seat Ms. Steele. Would you like something to drink?" I look back at him and feel my face flush. His white dress shirt got very wet and is clinging to his chest, making his muscles easily seen. I shake my head, trying to rid it of a vision of his unclothed chest.

"Yes please, I'll take tea if you have it. If not, hot chocolate will be fine." He gives me a sideways grin before he tells his receptionist about the drinks.

"If you'll excuse me then." He walks over to his bathroom, opens the door, and steps in without closing it. Andrea comes back in with the drinks and places his on the table and hands me mine with a friendly smile. Now I'm alone with the sexy CEO. _Heaven help me!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello all!**

 **I'm so glad everyone has liked the story so far. I will most likely be updating every Monday due to work, but I'll try to perhaps update with two chapters when I can.**

 **Peace, love, and hugs,**

 **MaidSlave**

CPOV

 _Oh my God, how am I going to make it through this interview,_ I think to myself. She is the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. I don't know how I'll manage to control myself while we're in such close proximities. Speaking of that, when we ran into each other, I didn't want to let her go, which is odd considering I'm still working on controlling my Haphephobia. When I felt her body against mine, my whole body became alive with a tingling sensation, not the usual burning feeling. When our fingers touched, she surely felt the spark too because she jumped. And then I caught her checking me out, so the attraction is not just one way! I have to get this meeting to last longer than ten minutes. Man, John's going to get an earful tomorrow. I grab my hand towel and walk back, sitting in the chair opposite of her, rubbing my head against the towel to dry off my hair.

"Alright Ms. Steele, where were we?" I remove the towel from my head and look to her. She bites her bottom lip, like she's trying to conceal a smile. "What is it?"

"Your hair looks like you stuck your finger in a socket." She giggles and flushes a beautiful shade of pink. I chuckle as I run my hand through my hair to tame it. She looks back at me, flushes again, and looks down at her cup in her hands. "Okay, I guess we should get started." I take a swig of my black coffee as she pulls out the slightly crumbled piece of paper with what I assume have the questions on it. She looks at it and seems to shrink a little into the chair. I can see she's getting nervous again. Before I know what I'm doing, I'm reaching over and placing my hand over hers. She looks at me, but her sapphire eyes are full of concern and panic.

"May I see this please?" She lowers her eyes and hands me the paper. "Please don't be nervous around me Ms. Steele." I don't know why, but when she's nervous, I just want to hold her and comfort her. I take the paper, and grab the clipboard that hangs on the side of my desk, and begin writing my responses to these average questions. I feel her looking at me, so I glance up and once again catch her staring at me. _Stare all you want baby!_ "How long have you suffered from panic attacks?" The question just pops out of my mouth and I instantly wish it didn't. It's none of my business, but this is something we have in common, strangely enough.

"For about five years. It started when I entered college and after, certain events, I discovered I suffer from General Anxiety Disorder, but I also have separation anxiety. I'm sorry, I shouldn't bore you with this information."

"No please, don't think yourself as boring. I'm intrigued by you." She gasps softly, her blush returns to her face before she breaks eye contact with me.

"How did you know I was having a panic attack?"

"I use to have them quite often." I finish writing a response and look to her to find she's looking at me with a confused look. She has a slight V that forms on her brow when she's confused and it makes her that much more beautiful. "I suffer from Haphephobia, the fear of being touched. I could only shake hands with business partners, and the only embracement I could receive was from my sister Mia. If a stranger would run into me or someone would jokingly slap my back, I would go into a panic attack."

"Then I am more sorry than I was before when I ran into you Mr. Grey."

"Please, call me Christian."

"If I caused you any discomfort at all, I had no intention of doing so."

"It's perfectly fine. With the help of my psychiatrist, John Flynn, I'm now able to withstand hugs from my family members. I'm still not comfortable with strangers, except for you. I didn't mind it when I ran into you." _Okay, where did my brain to mouth filter go?_ Her blue eyes lock with mine again and I feel like I could never tire from looking at her. We stare at each other for what feels like hours, until the door swings open and in walks Ros.

"Hey Christian," she states as she walks in looking at her Ipad.

"What," I yell, causing Ms. Steele to jump a little. Ros looks back at me, annoyance clear on her face.

"Jeez, what crawled up your ass and died today?"

"What is it you want Ros?"

"Well I was going to remind you of the conference call we have in five minutes."

"Please handle it without me Ros. I'm still busy with Ms. Steele here."

"Okay then." She turns to leave but she catches Ms. Steele's eye. "He can be an asshole sometimes can't he?" Ms. Steele stifles a laugh and blushes. As she shuts the door, the silence that surrounds us is a little awkward to say the least.

"I'd like to apologize for the disruption and my outburst Ms. Steele."

"It's fine. I'm sure you're busy constantly." She gives me a gentle smile and I return it before I turn back to answer the final question on the paper. _Are you gay?_ I chuckle and write my answer before looking back to the goddess before me. "Your roommate asked me a rather private question that I've been asked before, and I found it humorous."

"Oh really? What did she ask you?"

"If I was gay," I state as I hand her back the paper. She flushes again and covers her face with her hand.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Grey. Kate can be a bit…intrusive."

"It's fine. I just like to keep my personal life private, that's all."

"Well that's understandable, seeing that you're one of the most successful people in the world." We take another drink of our refreshments.

"What is your first name?"

"Anastasia, but I go by Ana."

"Anastasia, that's a beautiful name." She blushes again before looking down at her cup again.

"My mom is a history teacher at a middle school back home and she's always been obsessed with the Romanov family."

"And where is home?"

"Montesano. Where are you from?"

"Detroit. What does your father do?" As she continues to tell me more about herself, I feel so relaxed and comfortable talking to her, like we've been doing this for years. I'm leaning into every word she says as she talks passionately about her family and her job at Seattle Independent Publishing. After an hour has passed, she tells me she has to go. I'm sad to see her leave, but I escort her out of the building to prolong our interaction. I open her car door for her to get in. She rolls down the window.

"It was a pleasure meeting and interviewing you Mr. Grey."

"Oh no the pleasure is all mine." I take her hand and kiss it, seeing her glorious smile spread across her face that takes my breath away. "Until we meet again Anastasia."

"Until then…Christian." She backs out and before she exits the parking garage, she turns and waves at me. I wave back and feel my heart swell. As I head back upstairs, I think back to our meeting then realize something I did that was very wrong: I didn't give her my phone number. _Idiot!_


	3. Chapter 3

APOV

As I drive back to the apartment, I can't stop thinking about the interview. _Christian Grey._ God, even his name sounds sexy. He was so pleasant and kind, nowhere near the person Kate told me about. And for being a CEO, he's very humble and down-to-Earth it seems. He told me about his older brother Elliot and his younger sister Mia and how they were adopted. He spoke of his parents, his mother being a pediatrician and his father being a lawyer. As I pull up into the parking space and turn off the engine, I grab the paper and look at his responses to the questions. His writing is very nice and he seemed to answer every question politely, even the question about being gay. Man, I can't believe Kate wanted me to ask that question! If I was reading him correctly, he seems to be attracted to me. And there's no denying that I'm attracted to him, which makes me excited but so nervous at the same time. I gather my things and head into the apartment. Kate is still lying on the couch, with the trashcan near her head, which is covered with a towel. She's so considerate: seeing people vomit sends me into a panic attack, and I don't need another one of those today.

"Hi Kate, feeling better?" She blows her red nose and gives me a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

"I am now that you're home," she hoarsely replies. "Thank you again for doing the interview." I hand her the paper and head back into the kitchen.

"You're welcome. I'm going to make you more broth. Do you think you'll be able to go to the gala tomorrow night?"

"We're going even if it kills me," she boldly states, before having a coughing fit. Kate's parents were invited to the Coping Together Gala, an annual fundraiser, but they gave the invitations to us. Kate is forcing me to go; she says it'll be good for my self-confidence, but I'm still wary. While the broth is warming up, my mind wanders back to Christian. God the way I felt in his arms, I never wanted to leave. I was shocked to learn he suffers, or well suffered, from panic attacks. Looking at him, you wouldn't think a powerful, controlling CEO would suffer from something like that. I wonder how it is he came to develop Haphephobia. I pour the broth in a bowl and take it over to her before sitting on the couch at her feet. I look to her and see she's staring at me in bewilderment.

"What is it Kate?"

"Ana…I just got sick…and you didn't panic. I even warned you while it was happening, but you're not even fazed by it." My eyes grow wide as I realize it too.

"Holy shit, you're right."

"What were you just thinking about? While you were making this, what were you thinking of?" I feel my cheeks heat before I spill and tell Kate the details, including running into Christian and having my panic attack in his arms. I feel relaxed and comforted talking about what I learned about Christian, and I come to realize I have a smile plastered across my face. "Oh Ana, you like him! And he likes you!"

"Oh Kate, why would he like me? He probably has models wrapped around his sides."

"Why wouldn't he like you? You're beautiful, your hair is to die for, and you have the perfect hourglass shape. And you have really great tits too." We both giggle before she takes a drink of her broth. "Trust me Ana, he likes you." Again, the thought of Christian liking me, him kissing me, makes my heart beat rapidly. With my last "date" ending how it ended, I'm not too trusting around guys. Maybe this is something Dr. Phillips and I can sort out Sunday. I make myself a quick sandwich before I help Kate to bed. Once I brush my teeth and get into my pajamas, I crawl into my comfy bed. I call my parents like I always do and get ready for sleep. I look up at the ceiling and try not to think of his beautiful chuckle, or his sexy smile, or the way he said my name. I grab my other pillow, turn over on my side, and will myself to fall asleep, trying not to dream of his wonderful gray eyes.

When my eyes peel open the next morning, I feel the unusual wetness between my thighs. _God, this guy's going to be the death of me!_ Dreaming of his lips all over my body, and I mean ALL OVER, brings a flush to my face that I try to rid of as I go to the bathroom and tie my hair back into a ponytail. I walk into the kitchen to find Kate making pancakes and dancing around singing to her music.

"Well you look better."

"Hey Ms. Sexy! How many pancakes you want? Three? Four? I'm starving from yesterday." She grabs a plate from the cupboard and puts a stack of pancakes, complete with bacon, in front of me.

"I'm glad you feel better," I giggle at her before I spread the syrup around my stack. As we're eating, my mind wanders once again and I begin to think of my dream, and my stupid face gives me away.

"Why are you blushing Ana? Were you thinking of Mr. Sex-on-Legs?" I cover my face with my hand. I don't really want to tell Kate about this, but I feel so different since I've met him. "Ana? What is it?"

"Oh Kate, I don't even know anymore." I reluctantly tell her my dream, still feeling my face flushing as hard as ever.

"It's perfectly fine to have a wet dream about a guy Ana. Lord knows how many I've had."

"But why would it happen now? I've never felt this way about anyone before. The thought of him makes my heart beat like crazy and I feel like I can't sit still." She gets up to clear away the dishes as I continue to confess my confusing feelings. "It almost feels like I'm on the verge of a panic attack."

"That's just the 'butterflies in your stomach' feeling I'm sure. You're excited to be around him and that's what makes your body go into hyper-attention mode. I'm sure Dr. Phillips would say the same thing. Maybe that's something you can bring up Sunday in your session."

"Yeah maybe." We talk a little more before we give each other pedicures in front of the T.V., watching _Friends_ reruns. I think my anxiety about tonight's gala is slowly turning into excitement, especially since Kate said if I feel at all overwhelmed, we could leave at any time. She is such a wonderful friend; I don't know what I would do without her. After we finish up our afternoon of indulging and pampering, we get ready for the gala. I braid Kate's hair into two braids and pin them, crossing over in the back, leaving small strands out to frame her face. She does my hair in a low ponytail and curls the ends that sweep over my left shoulder. She pins it back using the white butterfly clip Ray, my stepfather, got me for a graduation gift. The gala is a masquerade ball, so I only apply a little foundation and light blush lip-gloss before I put on my dress and mask, tying it under my hair to hide the ribbon. I step out to see Kate in her dress. It's floor length with the bodice having silver, lace-like material that appears in the shape of leaves. The pattern flows down her left side, stopping at the slit that starts just above her knee and runs down the length of the black fabric. She has black stilettos on and her mask is black lace material too with tiny rhinestones scattered across the design. My gown is floor length too, light blue with an open back. The skirt has a layering effect, making it look like my layers are made of feathers. It stops at my knees but flows back and brushes the floor. My mask is white with silver swirls that go across the mask. In the middle of the top, it meets at a small ridge and has a light blue V that comes down to the middle of the nose. The eyes have the same light blue paint that outlines them and comes down the side of the nosepiece. At the top right side are seven "sweep" pieces that are lined with blue or silver paint. They also have either blue or silver rhinestones on them. The mask might be plastic, but I love it so much.

"Well, what do you think," I ask as I spin around for her to inspect.

"Oh Ana…beautiful doesn't even cover how you look. You look…mesmerizing. If no man offers to take you home tonight, I'm slapping every man there!" We burst into laughter as she pulls a box of the top of the kitchen table. "And here's your belated 'Congrats on getting you job' gift." I open the box and find a gorgeous pair of white heels with rose lace patterns along the sides. They have a peep toe and have a white bow above the opening.

"Kate they're gorgeous! Thank you. You spend too much on me." I step into them and they feel amazing!

"Oh tish. Come on the limo's here." We grab our clutches and head out the door.

After a giggle-filled ride, we arrive at an enormous mansion. The grounds are lined with trees and shrubs. There's a line of people taking pictures of the guests walking in. I take a few deep breaths before we get out of the limo. Cameras are going off in every direction, making my eyes want to close, but I maintain my smile as I walk in with Kate. We're greeted at the door by a couple. They must be the host and hostess. The woman has on a one shoulder dark purple dress that has an A–line bottom and her slightly graying brunette hair reaches past her shoulders. The man, of course, is wearing a tuxedo, but looks as sharp as ever.

"Welcome to the Coping Together Gala ladies," the woman says with a heartwarming smile. "Enjoy the evening."

"Thank you," we say in unison as we enter the manor. It is beautiful inside as it is out: high ceilings, large paintings along the walls, and a spiral staircase. We walk further in and come to the main hall, where it is packed with guests all in expensive gowns and tuxes, and masks hide their faces. I feel a tingling sensations run through me as Kate and I get a glass of champagne from a waiter, but I shrug it off. We see several couples gliding along the dance floor as the band plays a slow jazz song. I see out of the corner of my eye a tall blonde man is walking towards us, but his eyes are solely on Kate. He has a _Phantom of the Opera_ style mask on, covering the left side of his face. I jab Kate to get her attention and see a blush form on her cheeks. _Who's blushing now?_

"Hello ladies," he states as he bows dramatically, making us giggle. "I'm Elliot. I wish I could dance with you both, but I was wondering if I could steal your friend." He looks at me with kind eyes, and then his eyes flow over to Kate. I gently push her out into his waiting hand.

"I'd think she'd love to dance with you, wouldn't you Kate?" She nods and I know she's a goner. He leads her out onto the floor just as I feel the familiar electrifying jolt of energy and I know he's here. _Christian Grey_.


	4. Chapter 4

CPOV

I arrived only forty-five minutes ago and I'm already bored out of my mind. Normally I would show up just to be polite and to please Mom. But ever since yesterday, I haven't gotten that brunette goddess out of my mind. _Anastasia Steele_. Even after beating off in the shower twice like a horny teenager, she hasn't left my mind. I could have smacked myself for not giving her my number yesterday, God I was so stupid. Don't get me wrong, I could always have Welch do a background check on her and I could get her phone number that way, but I'm planning on visiting her at SIP on Monday. Hopefully then I can give her my number. _Hopefully?_ _Why wouldn't she want my number?_ The attraction is very mutual, but then again she wasn't like most women I meet. They would throw themselves at me feet, begging for my number or throwing theirs at me. But then there's Anastasia; the one woman who treated me with respect and kindness and didn't flirt one bit. She treated me like I was a normal person, instead of like a billionaire. God how I wish I had given her my number.

I'm talking to Dr. Ryan, a co-funder of Seattle General Hospital and a co-worker of my mother's, when I feel that familiar jolt of lighting hit me. It felt the same, as yesterday when I touched her hand, so she must be here. _Anastasia._ I politely excuse myself and go search for her and it doesn't take me long. I see her come into the main hall and my breath halts in my lungs; she's stunning, even more stunning than yesterday. Even with her intricate mask on, I can tell it's her from her delicate porcelain skin and her mahogany hair tumbling over her shoulder. She releases a small shutter but soon recovers. _Can she feel me too like I can feel her?_ I start heading towards her, coming up behind her like a predator stalking its prey when I happen to see Elliot heading straight for them. _Please get the blonde! Please get the blonde!_ He bows to them and gives them both his heart-stopping smile, making some joke and causing both girls to laugh. My girl politely hands her friend off to my brother and watches them walk onto the dance floor. _My girl?…Okay…_ Flynn seemed to be right on the nose about my feelings towards her yesterday during our session. Maybe I do want to pursue her as more than just friends with benefits. With my gray mask in place, I start walking up behind her as she watches her friend glide across the floor in my brothers' arms. I see the open back design of her dress and I long to touch her there. I move a little closer when she turns to face me. We lock eyes and seem to stare at each other for hours. She forms a beautiful blush and that breaks me out of my trance.

"Hello Anastasia," I purr as I step closer to her, hearing her gasp.

"Hello Christian…how did you know it was me," she whispers barely enough for me to hear.

"I…just knew. How did you know it was me?"

"I, um, recognized your hair and…eyes." The band brings their song to an end and we applaud them.

"You look stunning tonight." She looks down at her dress and the heat returns to her face.

"Thank you. You look very dashing in your tux, if you don't mind me saying."

"I don't mind at all." The band begins the intro of another song. "Would you like to dance?"

"I, um, don't know how."

"It's very easy, I'll show you." I extend my hand and wait for her to give me hers. She places her tiny hand in mine and the electricity running through us multiplies greatly. I lead her out to the middle of the dance floor. "Okay, so you keep you right hand in my left hand while your left hand rests on top of my right shoulder." I run my hand up the length of her arm to bring it up to rest on my shoulder. Just before she places her hand down on my shoulder, she pulls back a little. I look into her eyes and it's like she's silently asking permission for her to touch me. "It's alright Anastasia, I don't mind being touched by you." _I crave your touch actually._ She gently lays her hand down while mine goes back down to rest on her hip. I see her close her eyes and take a deep breath before she opens her eyes and looks down at her feet as the singers begin to croon to us.

 _We were strangers starting out on a journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through.  
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you._

I'm sure she's looking at her feet to make sure she doesn't step on mine, but I want to see her eyes.

"Anastasia, please look at me. The floor doesn't deserve your attention." Her eyes return to mine and she forms another beautiful blush. I let out a contented sigh and continue to gaze at her while a smile crosses her lips and she relaxes in my arms.

 _No one told me I was going to find you  
Unexpected, what you did to my heart.  
When I lost hope, you were there to remind me  
This is the start._

Her smile grows as she stares back into my eyes, but she soon catches sight of something. When I follow her gaze, I see she's looking at Elliot and the woman he's dancing with.

 _And life is a road and I want to keep going  
Love is a river, I want to keep flowing.  
Life is a road, now and forever  
Wonderful journey._

"That is my brother Elliot, dancing with the blonde woman, who I can only assume is your friend Kate?"

"Yep. When he came over and asked to dance with her, I knew she was a goner the moment I let her go." She giggles and it makes my heart nearly stop.

 _I'll be there when the world stops turning  
I'll be there when the storm's through.  
At the end I want to be standing  
At the beginning with you._

"Do you see that woman over there with black hair and wearing the blush dress?" I nod to show her Mia dancing with Luke.

"Yes."

"That is my sister Mia dancing with her boyfriend Luke, who works for me."

"They look like a happy couple."

 _We were strangers on a crazy adventure  
Never dreaming how our dreams would come true.  
Now here we stand unafraid of the future  
At the beginning with you._

"The couple, who greeted you, is my parents, Grace and Carrick."

"You seem to have a loving family Christian." She smiles up at me and I notice she has tiny dimples that add onto her beauty.

 _And life is a road, and I want to keep going  
Love is a river, I want to keep flowing.  
Life is a road, now and forever  
Wonderful journey._

She continues to smile until her eyes begin scanning the room, then her smile begins to fade.

 _I'll be there when the world stops turning  
I'll be there when the storm's through.  
At the end I want to be standing  
At the beginning with you._

"What's wrong," I ask.

"Everyone's staring at you."

 _Knew there was somebody somewhere  
Help me, alone in the dark.  
Now I know my dream will live on  
I've been waiting too long,  
Nothing's gonna tear us apart._

"Trust me, they're staring at you."

"Why would they be staring at me?"

"Why wouldn't they? You're the most gorgeous woman in the room, probably the world."

 _And life is a road and I want to keep going  
Love is a river, I want to keep flowing.  
Life is a road, now and forever  
Wonderful journey._

She continues to stare into my eyes as I continue to glide her across the floor. Has she never been told how truly beautiful she is, or is it that she's just surprised to hear it from me?

 _I'll be there when the world stops turning  
I'll be there when the storm's through.  
In the end I want to be standing  
At the beginning with you._

I can't resist anymore. I snake my hand across her back, pulling her closer to me. She rests her head on my chest as I rest mine on the top of her head. We both let out a satisfied sigh and I register the feeling, the feeling of burning or uncomfortable tingling, is gone. All I feel is warmth radiating off of her and now I never want to let her go.

 _And life is a road and I want to keep going  
Love is a river, I want to keep going on,  
Starting out on a journey._

I think Flynn is right; I think it's time I stop doing the friends with benefits treatment with women, using them and then dumping them like garbage. Because if Anastasia will let me, there is no way I want to let her go.

 _Life is a road and I want to keep going  
Love is a river I want to keep flowing.  
In the end I want to be standing  
At the beginning with you._

She looks up at me with a shy smile and I want nothing more than to kiss her right now, but we just separate just a little to applaud for the couple that was singing.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the master of ceremonies announces. "It is time for the Dance Auction. If every young lady would come up on stage, we will begin shortly." Anastasia stiffens besides me and I know she's worried about going up on stage. I grab her hand, lacing my fingers in between hers and lean in to whisper into her ear.

"Come on, I know where we can hide."


	5. Chapter 5

APOV

I'm pretty sure my legs are about to collapse from under me, because that dance was amazing! However, Christian's sturdy hand leads me out large window-paned doors and out onto a brick patio. We walk down a few steps and walk into an enclosed garden. Walls of shrubs and flower-lined walkways hide us away from the crowd.

"Oh Christian, this is gorgeous."

"Well then, I'll have to give Mom and Mia your compliment. They've worked on this since Mia was a little girl."

"They have quite the green thumb, that's for sure." He lets out a deep-throated chuckle and I nearly fall over. _God this man is just sexy all over._

"What's your favorite flower?"

"Lilies." He cocks his head to the side and looks at me with a quizzical look. "There's just a sense of innocence about them that I love. I mean I love roses too, but lilies are my number one favorite. What's yours?" He's quiet for a while until I look at him, to find he's already looking at me.

"Sunflowers. I love how they are always reaching towards the sun, aspiring to be more than what they already are." We walk along the paths, hand in hand, admiring the blooms and greenery. We eventually walk into the middle of the garden to find a large fountain surrounded by four rustic-looking benches. We sit quietly looking at the fountain, still with our hands laced together. He removes his hand from mine to take off his mask. He tucks it into his jacket pocket before he starts moving his hands towards my face. I lean back a little on instinct. "I just want to see the lovely face that mesmerized me yesterday," he whispers. I lean forward and his hands gently go under my hair to find the ribbon holding the mask in place. He pulls it away and lays it in my lap just as I lock eyes with him. "Beautiful." A slight wind blows through and I shiver just a little. Christian lets go of my hand to shrug out of his tuxedo jacket and places it around my shoulders.

"Thank you. You know, this is the second time I've had to steal your jacket."

"I know, I'm thinking I'm going to have to wear jackets around you all the time." We both let out chuckles before meeting each other's eyes again.

"They say chivalry is dead, but I'm thinking they didn't ask for your opinion."

"Mom and Dad taught both Elliot and I how to treat women."

"And how are you suppose to treat women?"

"With kindness and understanding and…respect." He looks down and his once joyful eyes are now filled with sorrow and…regret?

"Christian? Are you alright?" I place my hand lightly on his wrist, and that seems to bring him back from his deep thoughts.

"Oh Ana, if only you knew." He takes both my arms with his hands and begins rubbing down to my hands. He has both my hands in his but he turns over my left hand, exposing my scar. "What happened here?" I gently pull my hand out of his.

"Please don't ask Christian. I don't…"

"You don't what Ana?"

"I don't…want it to ruin the moment."

"Then we wont let it." He gives me a smile that makes my knees shake before he kisses my right hand. Just as he kisses it, a boom shakes the ground, causing me to jump. An explosion of fireworks goes off just beyond the garden, lighting up the night sky.

"Oh it's beautiful!"

"Yeah, it is." I turn my head to see his lovely gray eyes looking at me longingly. I feel my cheeks heat as I give in and lean back into his chest, his head resting on top of mine, and his arms draped over mine, with his hands intertwined with mine. This feels so right, like I'm suppose to feel happy and warm in another man's arms, instead of being full of worry and fear. We watch silently, wrapped contently in each other's arms, as the fireworks create splashes of color for what seems like forever. When they come to an end, we continue to bask in each other's warmth. A rustling in the shrubs startles me and I sit up a little. It becomes louder and now Christian has sat up, a protective hand rests on my shoulder.

"Oh Elliot," the distinctive moan sounds from Kate. They're behind one of the shrub walls, out of our eyesight, but I can clearly tell it's her. I cup my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing, and I feel the heat return to my face. Christian chuckles into the right side of my neck.

"I guess it's time to move our little party elsewhere," he whispers into my ear. I get up, followed by him and when he extends his hand out to me, I don't hesitate taking it. Louder moans come from the plants behind us and now we're practically speed walking to where ever Christian is taking us. Within a short while, we come to a gazebo that has strands of lights flowing all around it. The lights hang off the roof and wrap around the banisters. It is the true picture of romantic.

"Wow Christian, your parents house keeps getting better and better."

"Well they're both romantics at heart, even my dad. That's why Elliot and I built this for them for their 30th anniversary."

"Well you're quite the handy man aren't you Mr. Grey?"

"Only if you think so Ms. Steele." He steps away from me to plug in his phone into a hidden port. He pushes something and Norah Jones' _Don't Know Why_ starts playing on the built-in speakers.

"And built-in speakers? You're a man of many talents." He chuckles as he walks back over to me. I take off his jacket and lay it, along with my mask, on a railing nearby. When he reaches me, I automatically raise me hand to place it on his shoulder and my other goes into his warm hand.

"Elliot was the one who built it. He's in construction, so he knows what he's doing. I just handed him the pieces of wood and hammered in nails. I'm nowhere near as talented as you think."

"You're the CEO of Grey Enterprises and Holdings. You're a billionaire. I think you're pretty talented. Far more talented than me, that's for sure."

"You're an excellent dancer."

"Only because I have an excellent partner. Don't sell yourself short Christian. What other stuff do you do on your days off?"

"Well I go boating, gliding, flying, and hiking."

"Hold on, you can fly a plane?"

"Well most of the time when you own a helicopter, it's nice to know how to fly it. I've been thinking of getting a plane though." I'm pretty sure my eyebrows just rose to my forehead. "What?"

"Well most of the time when you're getting to know a person, you don't hear things like the fact that they own things like helicopters." He lets out a belly laugh and I can't help but stare at him. Maybe Kate was right saying that the anxious feeling I was having the other day was just butterflies in my stomach, because I don't feel that way right now. I feel like Christian and I could get along very well, perhaps in a way other than just friendship. But I'm getting ahead of myself. With what happened the last time a guy was interested in me, I'm going to take this at a slow pace. We dance a little longer before heading back inside. I find Kate and he walks us out to the limo. He brings my hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on each knuckle.

"Until we meet again Christian." I hear Kate slightly gasp behind me in the car. _This is going to be a long drive home_.

"Until then Anastasia." As we ride down the driveway, I turn and wave to him and he waves back. _Who knows when the next time will be_


	6. Chapter 6

CPOV

"You seem to have taken quite the liking to Ana haven't you Christian," Elliot's teasing voice sounds behind me.

"Coming from the Bush Man. How is your shrub gal?" His face heats and I can't contain my laughter.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't resist Kate, and apparently she couldn't resist me either. Kate did say you and Ana hit it off the other day."

"Did she really?" I can't contain my excitement about Ana gushing about me.

"Yeah, she did. But she also mentioned Ana also being a little nervous around you. Kate didn't say much, but maybe she has had bad previous relationships?"

"That would make sense. She was a little jumpy when we danced and when I took off her mask." I don't mention the scar I found on her wrist. I have a feeling she doesn't want many people to know about it.

"So how did she act when you gave her your number?"

"…God damn it!" We both face palm ourselves. "God, just being around her makes my normal way of thinking just fly out the door. But I feel at ease when I'm with her, like I've known her all my life."

"Christian, I think you've found 'the one'."

"Elliot that's not possible. I've only known her a day. Besides, I'm probably not worthy of her love." I let out an exasperated sigh before I run my hands through my hair. I catch Elliot's eye and he looks like he could strike me. He looks genuinely pissed.

"Christian, I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but you are loved by everyone around you: Mom, Dad, Mia, me, shit even Jason, Gail and Luke love you. You just need to understand a woman can love you for you and not your money. God, hasn't your shrink helped you see that you are worthy of love yet?" I run my hand through my hair again. I've really upset him this time. "Christian, just promise that you'll give this relationship a shot and just go slow. No more fucking and then dumping okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, I'll see you later then." We shake hands and give each other a pat on the back before I say goodnight to my parents and Mia. Taylor is waiting outside in the SUV for me when I leave. I get in and we drive home.

"Did you enjoy the gala boss," he asks after a moment of silence.

"I did. You remember me telling you about the woman who I caught in the street, Anastasia Steele."

"Yes."

"She was there tonight with her roommate Kate Kavanagh. Elliot picked her up quickly. I danced with Ana all night." I see his eyebrows rise in the mirror. He knows all too well about my problem with touching. Especially after only knowing someone for one day, I normally wouldn't be too found of them touching anything other than my hands. "Do you like working for me Jason?"

"I do boss."

"Even when I'm mad and fire you countless times?"

"Yep, even after that." He and I chuckle.

"Does Gail like working for me too?"

"Of course she does. And so does Luke." We're quiet until we reach the parking garage. We get out and ride the elevator up in silence. We step out and I'm just about to go to my room. "Christian, we do like working for you, but we also, love you as we would a family member." I keep silent, letting it sink in.

"Thanks Jason."

"You're welcome boss."

I awake with a start and see the beautiful morning sunlight seeping through the blind edges. I also have a rock hard erection and that's thanks to the numerous dreams I had last night about Ana. God it was so nice to dream of her and not my normal nightmares. After I beat off in the bathroom, picturing her gorgeous face, I look at the clock and see it's only 9:30. I pick up my phone and dial the number I need.

"Hello Flynn residents," John's wife Elizabeth says.

"Hello Elizabeth, it's Christian Grey. May I speak to John please?"

"Sure let me go get him Christian." I wait for about two minutes before Flynn picks up the line.

"What can I do for you Christian?"

"Flynn, do you really think I have a chance of doing more with Ana? I'm crazy about her, but I don't know if I'll be able to handle my first relationship. I don't want to fuck things up."

"Christian, as I told you the other day in our session, you've progressed a lot in these past three years we've worked together. Tell me, what makes Ana different from the other women?"

"I want to know everything about her and I want to tell her everything about me...I want to touch her and…her to touch me."

"So you haven't thought about tying her up to the bed just to have sex with her?"

"Well I have once or twice, but most of the time I imagine us making love and her freely touching my chest and back, and all over."

"See that right there shows proof enough you have what it takes to pursue Ana as more than just a 'friends with benefits' status. You didn't say you wanted to have sex with her or that you wanted to fuck her. You said you wanted to make love to her, and that has never come out of your mouth since I've met you."

"So what do I do?"

"You're going to have to do this the old fashion way and get to know her first and let her set the pace of the relationship. If you truly want to be her boyfriend, you'll have to wait for her approval. Tell me, what brought on this sudden need for reassurance?"

"When we went walking in the garden behind Mom and Dad's, we were talking and she complimented me on how I was so chivalrous and I told her that's how Mom and Dad raised us. I told her that I treat women with kindness and understanding and respect, but I never treated the women I hooked up with that. I fucked them and then got rid of them when I got bored with them. I never cared about their feelings. I guess that's why I feel like I'll never be worthy of Ana."

"Hmm, well while I'm not saying you were right in fucking and dumping the women, you both were consenting adults and both parties knew what you were going to get out of it right?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes feelings just form later in a relationship on one side or the other, or sometimes both. And you never physically harmed any women right?"

"Never."

"Then do as I said before: take it one day at a time and let Ana set the pace. Do you care about her feelings?"

"Yes."

"Then you have what it takes to pursue Ana and to become her boyfriend."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone!**

 **I'm glad everyone has liked the story so far. I'm sorry the chapters have been short, but there are reasons behind that. One is that keeping them short keeps everyone's attention and keeps everyone intrigued. The second is when my train of thought ends for a chapter, it really is like a train hit their brakes hard! Enjoy this chapter!**

 **Peace, love, hugs,**

 **MaidSlave**

APOV

My eyes peel open as the sun beings to seep into the room. I stretch out, feeling all my muscles wake and I feel so happy today. _Probably because I dreamt of him._ When we got home last night, Kate drilled me for the info about dancing with Christian and spending time with him out in the garden. Which in turn made me question how she ended up with leaves in her hair with a smirk on my face. She told me all she knew about Elliot and she told him about me. When the auction happened, he bought her dance for $10,000! I about fell over! I'm so happy she has found a guy who seems to treat her right, and who gets along with her.

I quickly hop out of bed and into the shower. I come out and make Kate and I breakfast. After eating and sharing many laughs, I get dressed and ready to head out. I see Kate working away on her computer when I come out into the living room with my gym bag in hand.

"Don't work too hard Kate."

"Oh I wont. Tell her I said 'Hi' and give Marcus a good jab for me."

"I will. Love ya."

"Love you too!" I hop in Wanda, my old Volkswagen, and arrive at my destination fifteen minutes later. I head inside and am greeted by the receptionist Clara.

"Hello Ana, you're right on time as usual. Dr. Phillips is ready for you," she says with a smile.

"Thank you Clara." I walk around the desk, stop at the door and knock. I step in and see her kind hazel eyes look up from her journal.

"Hello Ana, how are you," she asks as she gets up from behind her desk.

"I'm fine Heather. How are you?"

"Doing just fine. Tea?"

"Please and thank you." I sit down in one of her leather chairs while she gets my drink. Her office has beige walls with dark brown accent swirls. She comes back over and sits besides me in the other chair. She has darker blonde hair and has a body to die for. She's around 45, about my mother's age.

"So, what's up?" I chuckle before I take a drink of my tea. I can't stop the heat from coming to my face as I tell her about these past few days, including everything that happened with my panic attack and meeting Christian. The majority of me feels at ease talking about him, but the anxious feeling is back in my stomach again. "Okay so you like Christian and you feel like you want to get to know him more, but something is holding you back?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think it might be?"

"I don't know…maybe what happened with José?"

"It's possible, but Ana, you know not all men are like José. From the sounds of it, Christian sounds like the complete opposite of José. I advise you make him work to gain your trust before becoming a couple. Do you see yourself as a couple?"

"I do, but there's a part of me that feels really flighty when I think of him touching me, other than holding hands or dancing. I mean I want to feel comforted by a man and long to feel safe in his arms. But I don't want him to hurt me."

"Did you feel safe in his arms when you were sitting on the bench last night?"

"I did."

"And you were alone then weren't you?" _Well sort of._

"Yeah, we were alone, until Kate and Christian's brother Elliot decided to make out in the bushes behind us. She says 'Hi' by the way." She chuckles before writing something in her journal. "So Heather, what should my plan of action be?"

"Well, when you feel comfortable telling him, tell him about what happened with José and your scar. Ask him to respect the fact that you're not comfortable being intimate with him yet. And if he doesn't respect that, then kick his ass to the curb. Lord knows you can do it." We burst into laughter before hugging each other. Just as I'm about to leave, something stops me.

"Heather, do you think it's possible for a man to love me, even though I have panic attacks?" She looks up at me with kind eyes.

"Without a doubt dear."

As I head into the gym, I wave to the staff members I know before I head into the locker room and change into my gym clothes. I head back out and enter the room that's near the front of the gym. They have it as an open concept so people on the street passing by can see what we do and can see if they're interested. On the other side of the mat stands my Krav Maga master Marcus Jones. He stands at an impressive 6'5'', a little taller than Christian. He has dark olive skin and black curly hair.

"Hello master." I bow low to show my respect.

"Where have you been Ana?" He turns and he looks a little annoyed. _Looks like I'm in for fun today._

"I've been busy Marcus, but that shouldn't have deterred me."

"Well it's been a while. Let's see how much you can remember." He bows to me before he comes flying at me. I try a counter attack, but he quickly pins me. I flip him over onto his side, but he sweeps his feet under my legs and pins me again. "Come on Ana, this is boring. Show me what you're made of." He gets up and leaves me an opening, but soon has me in a headlock. I roll us onto our backs and rise to strike him in the neck that would make someone pass out, but he's too quick and has my face shoved against the mat and is holding my arm back. "Ana, get your head out of your ass and fight me!" He lets go and steps away so I can get up. I run at him and try hand-to-hand fighting, but he deflects everything. "You've neglected yourself Ana, you've become lazy." Everything I try, he stops and it's getting frustrating. A few months ago, I could take him down in a few blows. _Why am I distracted?_ "You're not my student. You're the scared shitless girl that was hiding in the bathroom, curled up on the floor in a ball." That sends me into a blind rage. He knows all about José. And _he's_ the reason I'm here. _He's_ the reason I'm afraid to let Christian touch me. _He's_ the reason I built walls to protect myself from men. _But he's not going to be the reason anymore_. I quickly climb up Marcus like he's a tree, pull all my weight to the back, and make him fall backwards. When's he's about halfway down, I turn us over so he's pinned face down and I gather his hands quickly and pull him back so his torso is raised off the floor. "Ah Jesus Ana! Tap out! Tap out!"

"Am I the scared shitless girl now?" I let go of his arms and get off him. I go around to the front of him make sure he's okay. I give him my hand and haul him up. "You alright?"

"Damn, here I thought I was going to have to revoke your black belt, but you've changed my mind. I'm sorry for what I said, but you showed me that your lack of practice these past months hasn't ruined your fighting style. Well done." He bows to me and I bow back.

"Thanks Marcus."

"You're welcome. I'll go get us a bottle of water." I dry off my sweaty face using my shirt. I feel a hand on my shoulder, thinking it's him trying to tease me. I easily grab hold and flip him over my body. Only when he lands, I hear a groan leave his mouth. I look down to see Christian lying on the mat, probably with the wind knocked out of him. _Shit!_


	8. Chapter 8

CPOV

After Flynn and I talked, I decided to go for a run to try to clear my thoughts. As the wind whips past my face, I think of the five women I've been with and carefully think over our "relationships". The first two, without a doubt, wanted no strings attached and had no problem ending things when we did. The third told me she didn't like how she couldn't touch me so our time only lasted for a month. The fourth was probably the hardest now that I think about it. She told me she had fallen in love with me and she wanted to help me with my fear, but the second she touched my arm, I screamed in pain. We ended up fighting and she called me a freak and an asshole. Now, I've been called an asshole before, but when she ended it with the fact no woman would ever love me because I liked to tie them up to fuck them, that's when it truly hurt. It still hurts to think about what she said, more now that I want to pursue Ana. The fifth, Leila, was probably the best way to end a relationship. We both grew bored with each other so we just went our separate ways. Before she left, she wished me happiness and said she knew there was a woman out there for me, who would help me with my problem. I saw her about two weeks ago and she was with another man, but she was kind and friendly to me. I think we could have been friends if my dick hadn't controlled my brain.

When I stop to rest, I find I'm at Elliot Bay. I look out at the water, close my eyes and breathe in the fresh air. I feel at peace near the water, that's probably why I love boating. When I look back at the clear blue waters, the first things I think of are Ana's eyes. They were about that shade last night, and I can't help but smile thinking of her beautiful face looking up at me, or the feel of her body in my arms. My whole body feels at ease thinking of her. _'You have what it takes to pursue Ana and to become her boyfriend.'_ Flynn's words keep playing over in my head, and I hope to God he's right. I don't know how, but I'll manage to see her again, I'm positive.

As I'm running back home, I happen to see the gym I go to for kickboxing. I run over to just peer in their window when I nearly fall over. There, fighting with the instructor of a self-defense class, Marcus Jones, is Ana! She has a black tank top on, and gray shorts. I see a hot pink sports bra strap peaking out from under her tank. I stand there mesmerized watching her fight the enormous man, and she doesn't look like she's winning. He's starting to shout at her and I'm only a second away from going inside when I nearly faint with surprise. Ana, looking absolutely furious, climbs up him like he's a pole, wraps her feet around his neck. She leans back, causing him to stumble backwards, but she manages to turn his body so she pins him face down against the mat. She straddles his back and pulls his arms back and up, so he has to rise off the ground. Now she looks confident and he looks like he's in pain. _Goddamn, my girl's got balls!_ My cock starts twitching at the thought of her that feisty in bed! I think of Elliot in a G-string before I step inside just as Marcus walks past me. She lifts her shirt and wipes her face. I place my hand gently on her warm shoulder. Before I know what's going on, I'm being flung upside down and land on my back, knocking the wind clear out of me. _Jesus, that was incredibly hot!_ I let out a groan from being knocked on my ass and I hear a gasp.

"Holy shit Christian! Are you all right? I am so sorry!" She kneels by me, with concern evident in her eyes. She places her hand against my shirt covered chest and again, I feel no burning or tingling. I just feel her warm hand and see the heat rise to her beautiful cheeks.

"It's okay, I probably deserved that. I shouldn't have surprised you like that, considering you just got done doing…?"

"Krav Maga. Again I'm sorry I flipped you over. If I would have known it was you, I wouldn't have done it." I sit up so we're sitting face to face. The blush is still across her cheeks and it just makes my want to kiss her grow.

"Why do you do Krav Maga?"

"Well my dad is a retired Marine, so he wanted me to know how to protect myself. And I have…other reasons too." She looks down shyly.

"What belt are you?"

"She's a black belt," the voice of Marcus states behind us. Ana stands and offers me her hand, which I willingly take and she hauls me up easily. "She's very well trained, she could even be a master and teach classes." He hands her a bottle of water and she shyly looks away from me. Marcus offers his hand and I shake it. "Good to see you again Christian."

"Likewise Marcus."

"Ana, I will hopefully see you next week." He exits the room, leaving Ana and I alone.

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you Christian?" She takes a quick swig of her water and just watching her doing the action alone makes my cock twitch again.

"No. Big Bad Ana didn't hurt me." She giggles and blushes again. _God, how can one woman be so sexy?_

"I'm deceptively tiny. So what are you doing here?"

"I went out for a run and I ended up over here." She gathers her bag and I feel a little deflated. _Is she trying to get away from me?_

"I was beginning to wonder if I had a stalker on my hands." She beams up at me and I can't contain my chuckle. "There's a coffee shop next door. Want to get a bite to eat?" Her face is still flushed as she looks at me with a sheepish grin.

"I would love to." She flings her bag over her back and I let her lead the way. _Can this really be happening? Am I about to go on my first date with Ana? I think so!_


	9. Chapter 9

APOV

After several cups of coffee and tea, and several hours of laughing, it's safe to say that I never want this date to end. We've shared countless stories from our youth and our years at college. I was surprised to learn Christian is a Harvard drop out. His father wanted him to become a lawyer like himself, but he grew bored. He told me a friend of his mother's loaned him the money to start up GHE six years ago. I find him charismatic, funny, humble, and lovable, nowhere near the heartless and cold CEO the media has seen. He's told me all about his favorite things and I in turn have told him mine, like how Thomas Hardy made me fall in love with British literature.

"So what do you do at SIP," he asks before taking a long sip of his coffee, with his piercing gray eyes watching me.

"I'm assistant editor to Jack Hyde, my boss."

"I've heard of him. How do you like working for him?"

"I love it! He's very kind and he treats me like I'm his own daughter. He reminds me of Ray in a way."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did your parents divorce?"

"They just grew apart. They stay in touch and are still friendly with each other, but Mom loves Bob now, and he treats her like a queen."

"Just like every man should."

"Exactly." I want to tell him. I want to tell him about the scar and about José, but maybe it's too early.

"Ana," he states just as my phone starts ringing. I look back to him, wanting him to finish what he was going to say. "Go ahead and answer it." I look at the caller ID and see it's Kate.

"Hi Kate."

"Hey Steele, Elliot is over and I was wondering if you would like to come meet him and have a pizza and movie night?"

"Sure, hang on I'm with Christian let me ask him if he wants to come."

"Okay." I hear a confused sounding man's voice coming from behind her, so it must be Elliot.

"Christian, would you like to come over to our apartment for a pizza and movie night?"

"I'd hate to impose." _Please. You and I both don't want this date to be over, I'm sure of it._

"You wouldn't be imposing on anyone. Besides Elliot is there too." I give him my best pouting lip and he gives me a heart-stopping smile.

"Okay, I'd love to come over"

"Okay. Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Christian going to join us okay?"

"That's fine with me. The more the merrier. Can you pick it up please? Elliot has me…preoccupied." _Oh jeez Kate!_

"Sure thing. Just make sure to be unoccupied by the time Christian and I arrive okay?"

"Yeah totally. Thanks dear, love ya."

"Love you too." I catch Christian's eye and he has a sly grin on.

"I take it my brother has his hands on Kate."

"In more ways than one apparently." _Hello filter? Could you work please?_ Christian bursts into laughter as I shake my head and try to wipe the smile off my face and try to rid myself of my blush. We get up to leave, and I suddenly feel really bold. I take Christian's hand and lace my fingers between his. _It feels so right to hold his hand._ He beams down at me while we walk the short way back to Wanda. He stops and becomes really rigid.

"Ana, you don't really drive this do you?"

"Hey don't diss Wanda. She's still in working condition. Besides, since I've only been at SIP for three months, I can't afford to get a car yet, not even a used one."

"What about the car I saw you in the other day?"

"That was Kate's car I borrowed for the interview. Now hop in. I want to get that pizza." He chuckles before getting in.

We get back to the apartment and the ride back was just as much fun as our time at the coffee shop.

"I think that cashier at the pizza place was ogling you Christian. She about drooled on your card."

"Oh God, don't remind me. It was cringe worthy when she was trying to give me her phone number." I can't help but giggle at her obviousness and clumsiness trying to sneak her number into Christian's hand.

"Thanks for paying for the pizza by the way."

"You're more than welcome." I turn the doorknob and we step inside. The first noise to reach my ears in a man's muffled voice followed by Kate moaning softly. Heat floods my face and I cover my face with my hand.

"Katherine, WE'RE HERE!" _Jesus woman, keep it in your pants while we have company._ She steps out from the kitchen, her hair slightly messy and a man about Christian's height follows her. He has blonde hair with kind bright green eyes. He's about the same built as Christian, just enough muscles in the right places.

"Hello you two. Ana, this is Elliot." I extend my hand out to Elliot, but he captures me in a hug. I'm not comfortable, but his laughter soon eases me.

"Sorry, hugging is just a habit of mine. So you're the one these two won't shut up about. Well it's nice to meet you finally."

"Likewise, but did you just say your brother doesn't shut up about me?" I turn to look at him and he's blushing! Blushing!

"Yeah, ever since…"

"Elliot," Christian warns with a smirk on his face. We burst into laughter as I pull Christian in a little more.

"Kate this is Christian, but you already knew that."

"Hello Kate, was my interview adequate for your company to use?"

"Oh yes it was wonderful."

"Well I had a wonderful interviewer." He winks at me with his sexy as hell smirk in place. We each grab drinks and slices of pizza before we crash in front of the T.V., Christian and I on the couch and Kate and Elliot in the armchair. We pop in _The Princess Bride_ and soon the room is filled with our laughter.


	10. Chapter 10

CPOV

"INCONCIVABLE," we all shout in unison before we all have another round of laughter. Kate is snuggled into Elliot's chest in the chair and Ana has just started sitting close enough for our arms to touch. Elliot was right; she does have a thing about being touched. Except this afternoon, when she held my hand, and how I wish we didn't have to stop holding hands. It's like she's having a battle with herself, like she might feel it is too soon for us to have any form of physical contact besides holding hands. But whatever makes her comfortable I will happily oblige. This is the most fun I've had with a woman in years. Every time she laughs, my heart feels like it's going to explode. Everything that comes out of her mouth is witty, sweet, or playfully sarcastic, and I love every bit of it.

"Would you like more water Ana," I ask as I grab my own glass.

"Yes please and thank you." Even in the dim lighting I can see her dimples and they are a constant reminder of her natural beauty. I head to the kitchen with Kate behind me.

"Would you like for me to refill your cup too Kate?"

"No thank you, I just wanted to talk to you really quickly." We turn the corner so we're out of earshot. "I'm sure Elliot told you how Ana has an issue with being touched."

"Yes, he mentioned something like that."

"Okay, well I wanted to thank you for taking her discomfort into consideration. I also wanted to tell you even if she doesn't show you any form of physical affection, please know she does really like you." I would be lying if I said my heart didn't flip on hearing that.

"Does she really?"

"Christian, if only you had seen her when she came home from the gala, you would know how much she likes you. When she is ready, she'll tell you about her issue, just give her time please."

"I'll give her all the time she needs Kate." And I truly mean it. I'm willing to wait for Anastasia.

As we walk back into the living room, Kate gives Ana a look, which I can't see with Kate being in front of me. I sit back down next to Ana, in the exact place I was. I smile down at Ana and she returns the smile. We continue to watch the movie and I feel a little movement on the couch. Soon Ana's head is resting on my shoulder and she brings my hand up and weaves her fingers in between mine. We both let out another contented sigh and yet we still feel the electricity running through us. As we near the end of the movie, I don't want to go back to my empty apartment. I want to stay here with Ana by my side and be surrounded by the comforting feeling of friendship, but I know it's way too soon to sleep over. The T.V. suddenly goes blank. My eyes shoot over to Elliot and he gives me the 'be quiet' sign. He lifts Kate's sleeping body up and into his arms.

"Kate asked me to spend the night earlier," he whispers in the dark. "I don't think Ana would mind if you got her in bed and you slept on the couch." I could swear he has his smirk on his face. I hear Ana lightly breathing beside me and now I know for certain she's asleep. After Elliot walks into Kate's room and shuts the door, I lift Ana up and carry her to her room. I lay her down on her bed before I take off her shoes and socks and tuck her into bed. She snuggles up to a pillow and smiles in her sleep. I gently kiss her forehead before I leave and shut her door. I turn off the lights in the living room and decide maybe she wouldn't mind if I took her to work tomorrow. I text Taylor and ask him to bring me my overnight bag. Within ten minutes, there's a quiet knock on the door.

"Thank you Taylor. Can you be back here tomorrow morning around 8:30 please? I would like to give Ana a ride to work. I don't trust her car."

"Will do boss. Have a good evening." I double lock the door and place my bag in Ana's room and check on her, but all I hear is her lightly snoring. _So adorable._ I'm just about to make the couch my temporary bed when I hear whimpers and what sounds like muffled crying. I get up and tiptoe back to Ana's door. _She's crying._ I gently knock before I open the door. Her crying gets a little louder.

"Ana, what's wrong?" I go to her bed and place my hand on hers. She's taking quick breaths trying to calm herself, like she's about to have a panic attack.

"He…he was here…He hurt me…"

"He's not here anymore baby. I won't let him hurt you anymore, I promise." She leans up and wraps her arms around my neck as she tucks her face into the side of my neck. I quickly envelop her in a hug and breath in her heavenly scent as her hot tears slide down her face and onto my neck.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so broken Christian," she whimpers between gasps of breath.

"Oh baby you have nothing to be sorry about. We're all broken in different ways." I rub her back like I did the other day until she has calmed down. "Would you like for me to stay with you?" _Wait, why am I even offering? She's uncomfortable with me touching her so…_

"Please." My heart momentarily stops as I hear her quiet confirmation. She leans back a little so I can crawl into her bed. The second I'm laying down, she's back in my arms. Just as I am about to circle my arms around her, she takes my right hand and kisses the top and the palm. "Thank you so much for everything Christian."

"You're so welcome baby," I sigh before kissing her forehead and drifting off to sleep.

As the blaring alarm clock wakes me, I want everything around me to freeze. Ana wrapped around my body with her head on my chest is all I could want now. But as she begins to stir and reaches for her alarm, I close my eyes, feigning I'm still asleep so she might not be as uncomfortable with our close proximity. She shuffles out of bed and places the covers back over me. I hear a little movement, guessing that she is getting her stuff for work. All is quiet for a few minutes and I'm about to open my eyes when I feel something very light and soft on my face, between my eyebrows. _It's her lips!_ She kisses my forehead before she whispers, "Thank you."


	11. Chapter 11

APOV

As I close the door behind me, leaving a beautiful sleeping Christian Grey in my bed, I go in and use the bathroom before I have a quick shower. After drying off, I slip into my fluffy blue housecoat and start on breakfast. While preparing the meal, I think over last nights' events; all four of us watching _The Princess Bride,_ me falling asleep against Christian's shoulder, and then having that horrible nightmare. It was probably due to Marcus trying to work me up, and boy did it ever, but I can't believe after five years, it would still come back to haunt me. But luckily for me, Christian came in and comforted me. God being in his arms felt like heaven all over again. Perhaps if we go on more dates, I can become more comfortable being physically intimate with him. Lord knows I can only try.

After I get the last piece of toast on the plate and get the sausage links out of the pan, I set the table and walk over to my bedroom door and open the door to wake Christian. I look up and see Christian, already awake, standing at the foot of my bed, buck-ass naked.

"Oh my God," I slightly scream as I shut my door, the heat already flooding my face. I hear movement and feel the door slightly move.

"Ana, I'm sorry. I was just changing. I'm sorry I should have…"

"No it's okay. I should have, kn-knocked. Um, breakfast is ready." I think I hear him sigh.

"Thank you." I head back out into the kitchen and sit down. Oh my, if I thought he was gorgeous the day we met, I only had a taste of Greek God-like beauty. He was standing with his back to me so I got a perfect picture of his well defined back with strong muscles flowing over them, which led down to a perfect bottom, with round cheeks perfect for squeezing. He has strong thighs and calves too. His back had tiny circle-like scares across it, so I wonder where he got them. _Oh my God, I'm awful!_ I shouldn't be fanaticizing about him while he's here! The blush returns to my face as I hear my door open and feel him come into the room. He sits beside me and everything is quiet for a few seconds. I take a peak at him through my lashes and see he's looking at me shyly and almost, embarrassed.

"I'm sure that wasn't something you were expecting to see this early in the morning," he whispers jokingly. I release a giggle and can't help but tease him back.

"I saw Christian Grey's booty," I sing and his face splits in half with a smile as his chuckle fills the room. We tuck into our food before I take a glance and see he's wearing black dress slacks and a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. _God, it's so unfair how attractive he is._ "Where did you get the clothes?"

"My personal security guy Jason Taylor brought them over to me last night when I called him, telling him I was spending the night. You'll meet him later this morning when we drive you to work." I look at him with confusion. "Please let me drive you to work Ana. Your car isn't safe and SIP isn't that far from GEH," he pleads, giving me his best puppy eyes. I can't contain my giggle seeing him beg.

"Alright, but I will give you gas money I swear."

"You do realize if you give me money, I'll just give it right back." _Man, he's as stubborn as I am._ We continue to eat in comfortable silence. "Did you sleep better after your nightmare?"

"I did. Thank you for staying with me." I feel my cheeks flush once more as I look into his silver eyes, full of understanding and compassion.

"You're welcome. Do you want to talk about it?" I stare back into his eyes and realize I do want to tell him. I want to tell him about my insecurities and my fears. Just as I open my mouth, so does Kate's bedroom door. She comes out first in her red housecoat, looking well rested followed by a groggy-looking Elliot.

"Good morning," Christian and I say in unison as they sit down. We chuckle and smile to each other.

"Good morning you two. Thanks for making breakfast Ana," Kate states as she grabs a link.

"Yes thanks for the grub little lady," Elliot mumbles as he gives me a high five. We all eat and talk comfortably before I get ready for work. Christian uses the bathroom while I change in my room. I opt for a black pencil skirt that stops just above my knees. I pair it with a shirt with white cap sleeves and a black bodice with diagonal lines that meet in the middle. I gather my hair in a high ponytail and step into a pair of black heels before I walk back out into the living room. Kate and Elliot are making-out at the table so I just turn on my heels and walk up to the bathroom door.

"I'm ready to go when you are Christian." He opens the door and he now has on a black suit jacket with a black tie that has white diagonal stripes on it. We look at each other and I see a smile creep onto his lips.

"You look very beautiful Anastasia." Once again, I blush at his words.

"Thank you. You look very nice as well."

"Thank you." I walk in front of him, grab my purse and head for the door. Kate and Elliot are still making out, still in their own world until Christian sees them. "Ana, when did you let these fifteen year-olds into your apartment?" I openly laugh as we see them separate and look bewildered, like they forgot we were still here.

"Have a good day at work you two. Love you Ana," Kate yells breathless.

"Love you too, ya horn dog," I say, although the last part I whisper more to myself. Christian soon weaves his hand into mine as we walk through the parking garage. In front of it is a black SUV, with a tall burly man in a suit standing near the front of the car. He has light brown hair in a buzz cut with soft green eyes. I smile at him and I see a faint smile come across his lips.

"Ana, this is Jason Taylor. Jason, Anastasia Steele."

"Nice to meet you Jason."

"Likewise Ms. Steele."

"You can call me Ana."

"I can't Ms. Steele." I can't stop from rolling my eyes and I hear Christian chuckle beside me.

"You can call her Ana Taylor, it's fine with me." I smile at Christian before I slightly smugly smile at Jason, hearing him chuckle before he opens the door for me to get in. We drive to SIP talking of our plans for the day and all too soon we arrive. Before I get out I leave a chaste kiss on Christian's cheek.

"Thank you for the ride. Have a good day. Bye." I leap out of the car and wave to them and Christian waves back, with a smile plastered across his face.

"Good morning Ana," Jack Hyde, my boss tells me kindly as I walk into his office to get my list of objectives I have to get done today. He has black hair with blue eyes and a mustache. He is patient and kind to everyone he works with.

"Good morning Jack. How are you?"

"I'm fine but I think you'll be better than me when you reach your desk."

"Why?"

"You'll see why. Here's the list of stuff that needs to get done today."

"Okay, I'll get started."

"Thank you. Call if you have any questions." I'm not going to lie when I say I slightly sped walked to my desk. When I arrive, there is a large vase with white lilies and red roses beautifully arranged in it. A tiny gray card sticks out. I remove it and flip it over.

 _Home grown beauties for the natural beauty who stunned me- C. G._

On the other side of the card are his office number and his personal phone number. I read it over and over before I get started on my duties. At lunch, I save his numbers in my phone and send him a text.

 _Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful. ~ Ana_

 _That they are, but not as beautiful as you. ~ Christian_

It's official; my heart has completely melted at Christian Grey's feet.


	12. Chapter 12

CPOV

It's been a two months since I've met Ana and I can say I've truly started living. I know two months seems like a long time to be dating someone before you become a couple, but I have enjoyed our journey. Being with her everyday, even if it's only for a short time, is all I can look forward to during the day. I pick her up every morning and drive her to work, to then take her home at the end of the day. I love it when she talks so adamantly about her passion at SIP and she listens intently about my work. We've gone on a few more double dates with Elliot and Kate and we text everyday at lunch. We've only kissed each other on the forehead or the cheek, but I'm more than willing to let her make the next move as far as physical contact goes. It feels right to let her take control on where our relationship is going. We also haven't talked about our pasts, but I'm hoping that will change soon.

I'm home one Saturday night, feeling restless more than ever and I know I just have to see her. We just texted each other a few minutes ago, but I have to see her in person. I grab my overnight bag in case she lets me spend the night and grab my keys. I hop into my Audi Spyder and quickly arrive at her apartment. I run up to the second floor and knock on her door. It takes a few pain staking minutes for her to open the door but when she does, my heart skips a beat. She's in a gray t-shirt and black shorts but she has a light blue apron on with sunflowers along the edges.

"Hi Christian," she says eagerly as she walks into my open arms. I kiss her on the head and inhale her wonderful scent. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to drop by and see what you're doing."

"Well today is Kate's birthday so I'm making her a cake." _Oh, she's busy._

"Oh, then I'm sorry I bothered you." I turn to leave but her hand slips into mine.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Well you're busy with the cake and I don't want to intrude on the celebration."

"Come help me make the cake and frosting." _Oh God. Me and cooking; not a good combo._

"Uh I'm not good at cooking."

"Well this is technically baking so you're probably good at that. Come on." She pulls me into the apartment and the smile has returned to my face. She rummages through some drawers before she pulls out a red apron. "Bend down please." I do so I'm face to face with her. She blushes her signature blush as she places the neck strap around my neck. She runs her arms around my center to tie the straps together in the back. "Okay so we're going to make a double layered round vanilla cake. I put parchment paper in the bottom of these two pans to help get the cake out later when it's done baking."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"Put three cups of flour into this bowl," she points to the green bowl on the counter. "While I get the baking powder and salt ready." She walks towards the cupboard while I turn to look at the sack of flour. I hesitantly take the cup measurement and scoop out the ingredient. I'm about to pour it into the bowl when her hand gently comes to rest on top of mine. "You need to even it off with the butter knife. Place the flat edge of the knife against the back of the cup and scrape the excess of the flour off into the bag so it can be used again later." She beams at me with her kind and patient eyes. I feel so, stupid, for not knowing this basic kitchen knowledge. "Christian don't be embarrassed. The first time I made a cake, it caught on fire." I can't contain my laughter as I do as she tells me. "Okay so I'm adding one tablespoon of baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt. Take this whisk and mix it up." I take the whisk and start stirring it around in the batter. She comes back over and shows me how to angle the bowl and flip the whisk around so I won't strain my arm muscles.

"How do you know this recipe Ana?"

"I make my dad a birthday cake every year for his birthday. After the one that became kindling, he helped me learn how to work in the kitchen."

"So you love to cook?"

"I do but I love to bake more."

"And you're not afraid it will come out wrong?"

"At least I tried." She beams at me once more before I turn back to my whisking duty. After a few minutes, she walks back over to me with a white dish that has a tiny white handle. Inside the bowl is runny yellow liquid. "This is called a grab-it dish. I used it to melt 2 sticks of butter. While I add this, can you measure out 1 and ½ cups of sugar please?"

"Sure." I feel very proud I'm helping her achieve something, instead of fucking it up. I find the cups and measure out the desired amount before I add it to the bowl. She scrapes off the excess batter off the whisk with a spatula, at least I know what that is, and gets a mixer out of another cupboard.

"Okay so mix this with the mixer on medium. Put it in the mix first, but you already knew that didn't you?" She winks at me and I chuckle once more. I do so until she tells me to stop. She adds one egg before telling me to mix it again. We do this step with three more eggs. She grabs the spatula and scrapes the excess off again before she swipes the side of the bowl. "Can you measure me out 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract please?" I do as she says. I look at the mixture, but it doesn't really look like cake mix. "We're not done quite yet. So next, we're going to need ½ cup of water and ¾ cup of heavy cream, or whipping cream." She shows me how she beats into the batter three separate times. "Okay it's time to divide and…well bake." She pours half the batter into each round pan before she places them in the oven. "So it's set at 350°F so this will bake for 27 minutes. Unfortunately, now it's time to clean up." I bend down and place a kiss on her cheek.

"Thanks for letting me help Ana. I feel so accomplished. Hell, maybe I can even surprise Gail with my baking knowledge." She cups my face and kisses me on each cheek.

"If you ever want another baking lesson, let me know." I see her eyes have darkened but her innocent blush comes back to her cheeks. We busy ourselves washing and drying the dishes and laughing at each other.

"Ana, would you like to go hiking tomorrow?"

"I would love to. Are Kate and Elliot coming?" _Does she still feel uncomfortable being alone with me?_

"No, I figured it would just be you and me." Her smile widens and she turns another shade pink.

"I'd like that a lot." When the cakes are finished, she takes them out and places them on wire cooling racks. She lays out the dishes we just got done cleaning. "Now comes my favorite part: the icing." She looks like a child in a candy shop as she gathers the ingredients. "So I'm going to let you do this by yourself but I'll tell you the ingredients instructions of course."

"You aren't worried I'll mess it up?"

"You won't mess anything up Christian, I promise." She looks at me encouragingly as I step towards my baking station. "So first you're going to melt ¼ cup butter in the grab-it dish. While it's melting, put 3 cups of powdered sugar into the bowl." I do so before I add in the butter. I stir it around for a while until she tells me to stop. "Next add 2 tablespoons of milk and 1/3 teaspoon of vanilla extract and just mix it up really well." I mix as I watch her pull the tabs of the parchment paper and out come golden cake rounds. My pride swells knowing I didn't fuck up her cake. She comes over to me with tiny colored bottles. "I'm adding eight drops of blue food coloring and two drops of red to make the icing purple. That's her favorite color." I continue mixing and sure enough, the once off-white icing is now a light purple color. Next Ana places one of the cakes down on a circular serving dish. She takes a spoonful of the icing and spread it around the top of cake. She walks back over to me and pulls me towards the cake. She places the other cake on top before she dips her finger into the icing and holds it out for me. "The chef should always get to try their masterpiece before sharing." I lick her finger, giving her my most seductive eyes. It tastes amazing, and I'm not only talking about the icing. I swear she's holding her breath as she bites her bottom lip. I release her finger and she shakes her head, still smiling. "Okay so just pour it over it and we'll spread it around." I follow her instruction and the cake looks incredible. She shows me how to even out the icing with a knife. "Well Christian, your first cake looks amazing. Well done." She turns to me and somehow she got icing on her face.

"Hang on, you've got icing on your cheek." I pick up a damp paper towel and cup her face. She closes her eyes and leans into my hand as I wipe the towel back and forth, clearing away the icing. When I'm done, she looks into my eyes before looking at my lips. I lean down and see her eyes flutter shut. Just as our lips make gentle contact, the front door swings open with a bang.


	13. Chapter 13

APOV

 _And the Worst Timing Award goes to: Katherine Kavanagh!_ We stand in front of the cake as she and Elliot walk into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday Kate," Christian and I say in unison as we step away and show her the cake.

"Oh Ana thank you!" She rushes to me and grabs hold of me in a crushing hug. "You made it too Christian?"

"Well I helped. But I made the frosting."

"Well thank you too." She gives him a quick hug and I can't help but notice Christian stiffens at her touch.

"Christian can you serve the cake while I go get the presents?"

"Sure." I walk into my room and can't help but smile what just almost happened between us. _I want to kiss him so badly!_ Heather has helped me significantly with my slight Haphephobia and my separation anxiety when it comes to Christian. She made a point in saying that some people will only be in our lives for a short while and to make the most of the time we have together. But as charming, sweet, and loving as Christian is, Heather also noted that Christian seems to be making a point on staying in my life for a long time. I blush at the thought of us being alone tomorrow on our hike. _Perhaps we could kiss then?_ Don't get me wrong; there is a part of me that longs for the day we have sex, but the smaller part saying not to gets in the way.

I grab the two identical gifts and head back into the room. Christian beams at me and I flush again as we sit down with the other two.

"This one is from Christian, and this one is from me," I say as I hand Kate her presents. Elliot gives me a quick hug and a pat on the head as he sits next to Kate.

"I already gave the birthday girl her present earlier," Elliot states with a smirk. He bursts into laughter as Kate and I try to conceal our embarrassment. Christian brings my hand to his lips as Kate starts opening the gifts.

"I'll pay you back for whatever you said is from me," he whispers in my ear and I shiver. I was planning on giving her both but now that we're here, why not let her think Christian gave it to her. I just hope it's the right one. She giggles.

"Christian, how did you know I needed lingerie?" She holds up the matching purple bra and thong. _Oops, wrong box._

"It was a lucky guess," he states while grinning at me. We laugh as Kate opens the other box and pulls out a silver necklace with a lace-like heart on it. In the center is a tiny purple gem.

"Oh Ana, it's gorgeous! Thank you so much!" She jumps up and gives me a quick hug. After singing to her, we enjoy the cake, which is delicious, and a bottle of wine amongst us. All the laughing has everyone weary after a few hours and we decide it's time for bed. We all share a round of hugs before splitting off to our designated rooms.

"Christian, you can use the bathroom first while I call my parents. The cake was delicious wasn't it?"

"Yes it was. I'm not going to lie, but if we hadn't had the wine, I would have eaten probably three more pieces." I giggle at him while he slips into the bathroom. I do my routine of calling Mom and Bob first before calling Dad. They all know that I'm seeing Christian and have heard many things about him, but I'm hoping tomorrow night's call, it'll be to tell them that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. After getting off the phone with them and changing, I expect Christian to have come in by now, but there's still no sign of him. I walk into the bathroom and brush my teeth and then go into the living room. He's laying a blanket down on the couch. I walk up and silently take his hand and lead him to the bedroom. He gets into bed before I crawl in and lay down in his strong warm arms. I lay my head on his chest, hearing his heart beat a little faster now.

"Ana, I can't tell you how happy I am that I helped you make that cake. I'm successful with things that have to deal with people and businesses, but other things, I feel like I'm a screw-up. Anything that might be out of my control, I could fuck up." I rub my hand comfortingly across his chest. I can feel his strong abs under my touch and unconsciously close my legs.

"Christian, you don't give yourself enough credit. For being a powerful CEO, you let your doubt get in the way sometimes." _Looks who's talking!_ "I know it sounds a little cliché, but you can conquer anything you set your mind to. Please have a little more faith in yourself, for me."

"Anything for you Ana," he mumbles against my forehead before kissing it multiple times before I kiss his bicep and the spot on his chest where his heart is. We sigh our 'goodnights' and let sleep take over us.

The morning light wakes me and as I stretch out my muscles, I grin at the sleeping man beside me. I love seeing him sleeping because he looks like his age, instead of looking stressed and in the CEO mindset. I reach out and stroke his hair away from his forehead and hear him mumble my name in his sleep. _God, he's adorable!_ His shirt has gathered up some on his chest and I see three circular scars just under his bellybutton. _Who could have done that to him?_ His arms tightening around me and pulling me back into his chest interrupt my thoughts. I grin as he nuzzles into my neck and inhales before he kisses my neck. He's told me about his previous "relationships" and how he never wanted a girlfriend, saying he could never be romantic and give them more, but I think he is very wrong. He is very romantic without even trying.

"Good morning beautiful," he mumbles, sleep still present in his voice.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?"

"I was dead as a doorknob, you?"

"I slept fine." He kisses the spot between my eyebrows and stretches out too. I get out of bed and instantly miss his warmth. "I'm going to go make us breakfast before we head out okay?"

"Okay. I'll get dressed and pack our bags." I reach up and kiss him on his cheek before I scurry out to the kitchen.

After the good meal and talking with Elliot and Kate, we head to the nearby park that has enough range to hike in. As we walk hand in hand, we talk and laugh while enjoying the nature around us, but I can't help but marvel at his beauty at times. Even in a simple green t-shirt and black shorts with hiking boots, he is gorgeous. I thought he was hot in a suit but man was I wrong. We stop a little after Noon and find a nice field to eat in.

"I'm glad we brought enough water," he states as he pulls up his shirt to wipe his face. _Oh Lord help me!_ A chisel chest complete with a six-pack is before me as I pull out our food and a blanket. _Hot!_ I see more scars but quickly look away when he pulls his shirt down. "See something you like Ms. Steele?"

"You're so good looking, it's quite unfair to mankind Mr. Grey." _Oh my God, did that really come out of my mouth?_ He laughs as he joins me on the blanket.

"You're one to talk Ms. Steele." I blush at his words before we begin eating and enjoy the beautiful view of a flower-covered field before us, complete with trees dotted here and there. After we eat, he pulls me into his arms and I lay my head back against his chest, loving the way he feels around me. "Ana, before we move forward I need to share something with you that I think will help you better understand me." His grip tightens around me and I kiss his neck, encouraging him. "You know I was adopted, along with Elliot and Mia. But before Grace and Carrick saved me, I lived with my mother. She was into drugs and had a pimp. He burnt me with his cigarettes while my mother was getting high on whatever she was doing. He eventually left and she overdosed on drugs, leaving me alone with her body for several days before neighbors found me. That's why I have scars on my chest and back and that's why I have Haphephobia. Like I told you before, most of the time when people would touch me, it would feel like my skin was on fire and I would scream in pain. But now with you, I crave your touch. You're like the angel I was waiting for." I wipe my tears away before I turn and wrap my arms around him. I try not to let the tears fall, but they do and he gingerly wipes them away. He cups my face and kisses my eyes. "Please don't cry Ana. I hate seeing you upset. It was my past, and I'm hoping you'll be my future." _Now. I need to tell him now._ I wrap my arms around his center again and lay my head against his chest.

"I think it's time you know about my aversion to you touching me Christian. When I was a freshman in college, a guy in one of my classes, José Rodriguez, asked me out on a date. We went to a local restaurant and were having a great time, until I went to the restroom." He grips me a little closer to his chest. "I was washing up when he came in. I was so shocked to see him, I was too slow to stop him from shoving me against a wall. I tried the moves my dad taught me in self-defense, but he blocked everything. Eventually, he pinned me on the ground and started yanking off my jeans. I tried screaming for help, but the music was too loud. He had just pulled my panties down when a woman came in and pulled him off of me and punched him a few times before he ran away. She called for help as she comforted me while I experienced my first panic attack." He bends down and kisses my head. "When I first started going to my therapist, I learned I got PTSD from the attack and slight Haphephobia, so that's why I haven't been very affectionate with you. And eventually, that's why I started doing Krav Maga."

"What happened to that bastard Ana? I swear is he's out there, I'm going to find him and kill him myself." I rub his arms to try to calm him down.

"He raped another woman and is now rotting in jail as we speak, so please don't get upset Christian."

"Do you happen to know the woman? Did you get her name?" I lean up and cup his face, looking into his concerned eyes.

"It was Kate." I will always be grateful she had to pee that night. He sighs and leans his head against mine.

"I'm giving that woman the biggest hug the next time I see her." I chuckle and kiss his nose before pulling back and looking into his eyes.

"Like you said before Christian, it was my past, and I'm looking forward to a future, with you?" I smile shyly as his face splits in two with his glorious smile.

"So you'll be my girlfriend?"

"Nothing would make me happier Christian. Kiss on it?" He bends his head down and captures my lips softly. _Oh how I've longed for this!_ Our kiss gets a little more heated as I feel his tongue lick my lips asking for entrance, which I allow. Our tongues explore each other's mouths before we have to pull away for air.

"You taste just as sweet as I imagined."

"My thoughts exactly." He chuckles before his lips find mine again. We make-out for a while longer before we head back.

We're walking back when I see a clearing when I stop to take a few pictures of. I look up at Christian, who has stopped and is looking at a map of the park when something catches my eye. Up the cliff side to our left, rocks are falling at high speed, making a b-line for Christian.

"Christian, move!" I jump and fling my arms forward and push him away, just as the rocks come down. I close my eyes and feel the crushing pressure on my ankles.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:**

 **This chapter contains a suicide attempt. If you or anyone you know has been having suicidal thoughts or actions, please do not hesitate to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Your life is worth living.**

CPOV

 _Why did she push me? And why did she yell at me to move?_ As I open my eyes and rise off the gravel walkway, I turn to see Ana about two feet away from me, facedown, with about three huge boulders on top of the lower part of her legs.

"Oh God, Ana!" I run over to her and she is luckily awake. Her face crumples and I can clearly see she's hurt. "Hold on baby, let me move these rocks." I shove two away but the third won't budge. "Baby listen." She looks back over her shoulder at me and the fear is evident. "I'm going to lift this boulder and when I say to, crawl away as best as you can."

"Okay," she shakily tells me. I lift the boulder as best as I can, but it won't move. _There is no way in hell I'm going to loose the love of my life when I just found her!_ I grip it and with all I have, it slowly rises off her feet. "Move baby!" She army-crawls away and when she's far enough away, I drop the rock, hearing it land with a thud. I run over to her and she's shaking violently. I look down at her feet. Her right seems to look fine but her left is already swelling with shades of purple and red. "Baby, I need to take your boot off." She doesn't respond but she watches as I unlace her shoe and make the opening as wide as possible to get her foot out. She whimpers as it slides off and I take off her sock as well. I quickly shove them into my bag and turn back to her. She's still shaking and is taking shallow breaths. Tears have started falling down her face and I just know she's having a panic attack. _I need to stay calm for her._ I lean up and softly cup her face, whispering as I look into her scared eyes. "Ana, baby, I know you're scared and feel alone right now, but you're not alone. I'm right here and I will protect you. Let the attack pass, and come back to me." She grips my arms and closes her eyes, and wills her breath to slow. After a few moments, her eyes flutter open and seem clearer now.

"Christian, it hurts but I don't think it's broken. I think I can walk back."

"Fuck no Ana, I'm carrying you to the car." I take her bag and place it on my right shoulder.

"But Christian, you can't carry me and the bags. It'll be too heavy." _Not for me._ I quickly pick her up bridal style and almost run back to the car. I place her in the seat carefully and throw the bags in the back before we shoot down the road.

I might have broken some laws getting here, but there is no way I'm letting my love be in pain any longer than she has to be. _My love? Yep, I love Anastasia Rose Steele._ Luckily we got into the E.R. quickly and the staff is now taking her vitals.

"Are you nursing or pregnant," the nurse asks as she looks at Ana concerned.

"No," Ana grits out through her teeth. I rub her hand to comfort her. _Can't this step be a little quicker people?_

"Have you ever self-harmed?"

"…Yes." _She…has? When? Why?_

"How long ago was that?"

"Five years ago."

"How many times have you tried?"

"Only once." She sounds so ashamed. _Oh baby, why?_ The nurse leaves and the doctor comes in and evaluates her ankle. Luckily it is not broken but is sprained with a bruised bone. She should stay off of it and elevate it often for about three weeks. He wraps a sports bandage around it and gives Ana a list of exercises she is suppose to do. I wheel her out to my car, but we just sit there in silence, with her looking at her hands. I reach over and hold her hands and lean my head against hers.

"It was after José attacked me. I was having panic attacks constantly, and it would happen out of nowhere. I had no idea what was happening to me and I was confused and depressed. I thought no one would understand what I was going through and that I was alone. I isolated myself from everyone, including Kate. Then one weekend I went to see my dad. I knew I couldn't live like how I was and I thought no one would miss me. I found my dad's straight razor and cut my left wrist." She turns over her left hand and I see the scar I saw a long time ago. "The second I did it, I knew I had made a terrible mistake and instantly regretted it. I screamed for Ray, and he literally broke down the door to the bathroom. He rushed me to the hospital where they treated me. Needless to say, everyone was upset at what I had done, but also sympathized with me for being upset over the attack since I hadn't really talked to anyone about it. Of course I had numerous lectures about talking to them, but I still had that nagging voice saying they wouldn't understand. I had to be admitted into a mental hospital for a week and a half and that's when I learned I was having panic attacks. When I returned to college, I found Heather, and I can say, I am so glad I found her when I did." She turns to look at me and places her hand on the side of my face. "There are still days when I'm depressed, but I have never had that dark thought ever again. I found purpose to live and saw what life I would be missing if I had succeeded. And after today, I know that I would have missed meeting you and getting to know you, seeing our relationship blossom out of friendship into what we have now."

"Ana," I whisper before I seek her lips, assuring her I understand her. Her fingers weave into my hair and pull me closer to her. I wish I could tell her I love her, but we only became official today. Her tongue slides into my mouth and I release a moan. Suddenly I remember her apartment is up a flight of stairs. "Ana, would you like to move in with me," I ask breathless. She pulls back from me and has a look of shock on her face, not that that should be surprising.

"What?"

"Well I just thought that your apartment is on the second floor. My apartment is all on one level. Kate might have to be at work where as I don't have to go to work so I could help you get to work or around the apartment if you get bored. You can have your own bedroom and Gail could help you at times I'm not at Escala."

"Who is Gail again?"

"She's my housekeeper and Jason's wife." She sits back and thinks about the offer. I hope she says yes so we can spend more time together and I can protect her.

"Well that does make a lot of sense and it would be helpful since I'm not to be on my foot for very long or very much. But may I ask something?"

"Sure baby."

"Would you like for me to sleep in your room? I mean if you want your 'alone time' space, that's fine. But I personally, don't mind snuggling with you at night." She shyly looks up at me through her lashes, the blush rising on her cheeks. I lean in and place my lips against hers softly. _I will never tire of kissing her._

"I am more than happy to share my room with my girlfriend." She smiles against my lips before kissing me once more.

When we arrive at the apartment, I carry Ana upstairs and into her apartment. She called Kate on our way over, but as soon as we enter, she is right beside us.

"Oh Ana, are you okay? Did you break anything," Kate asked worriedly. She has been crying, but luckily my brother is here to comfort her. We sit down on the couch and listen to Ana retell what happened. I can't believe she pushed me away from falling rocks. She eventually tells her about moving in with me while she's healing. "I don't blame you Ana. Those stairs are a bitch to take in the winter, much less on a bum leg. Do you think Jack will make you come into work?"

"I don't know, but I doubt it. I'll probably work from my computer at Christian's."

"Okay would you like for me to help you pack what you're going to need?"

"Yes please." I lift Ana, go into her bedroom and place her on her bed.

"I'll just be out there with Elliot, but if you need anything, just call me." She reaches up and eagerly pushes her lips on mine.

"Thank you so much Christian, you saved me today."

"No baby, you saved me." I reluctantly let her go and walk into the living room. Kate is about to go into her room but I quickly envelop her in a hug. I feel very uncomfortable, it's not like how it feels with Ana, but I hope she understands why I'm hugging her. When she steps back, she looks towards Ana's door and then back to me, confusion written all over her face. Then a light seems to go off in her head and she smiles reassuringly at me before she steps away to go help Ana.

"Can I get a hug like that to little bro," Elliot asked amused.

"Sure thing 'Lliot."


	15. Chapter 15

APOV

After Kate helps me pack my bags with what clothes I have, Christian carries me out to the car and we drive to his apartment.

"Are you okay with carrying me all this time Christian? I could get crutches or something. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Oh baby, you weigh practically nothing. I could probably lift about five of you," he grins before he kisses my head. As we get closer to our destination, I marvel at the towering building. _It's huge! Probably one of the taller buildings in Seattle._

"So what floor are you on?"

"The top floor, the 25th level."

"Damn." He bursts into laughter before pushing some button on his steering wheel and I hear a dial tone.

"Yes boss," Jason's voice comes through the radio.

"Are you down in the parking garage ready to get Ana's things?"

"Yes sir."

"We'll be there shortly. Thank you." He ends the call before Taylor can respond. It's different to see Christian go from a loving boyfriend, to a CEO needing orders to be completed, in a matter of seconds. We pull into a parking spot and Jason comes around the corner as Christian opens my door.

"Hi Jason."

"Hello Ana. Sorry to hear that you got hurt."

"Thank you but luckily I'm not too badly hurt. It could be worse." I see Christian cringe out of the corner of my eye. _Probably shouldn't have said that._ He quickly hauls me into his chest bridal style and walks towards an elevator, leaving Taylor to get the three bags I brought which included some books and my laptop. Without putting me down, he pushes the button for the top floor. Once the door close on Christian and I, the atmosphere seems to change and become electrical somehow. I look up to Christian and he seems to be feeling the same way. I look into his dark gray orbs before his lips crash onto mine. My hand goes into his hair and yanks it gently, releasing a growl from him. I feel a pleasant shiver run down my spine and it urges me on. My tongue slips into his mouth and it slithers over his. His hand lightly presses my thigh and I release a moan as I feel his erection poking into the side of my hip. As we near the top floor we separate but lean our foreheads together.

"Who knew elevators could be so much fun," he gasps breathlessly as I feel my face heat. Soon the doors open and we step right into the kitchen and living room. The kitchen is state of the art with chrome appliances. The cabinets are black along with the counters and the island, complete with silver accents here and there. A woman comes from behind a wall. She's a bit older, about Jason's age, with short blonde hair and brown eyes. She has a warming smile that makes me feel more at ease.

"Welcome home Mr. Grey. Welcome to Escala Ms. Steele. I'm Gail Taylor, the housekeeper and cook." I extend a hand, which she willingly takes, although I probably look silly being hauled around due to my foot.

"It's nice to finally meet you Gail. Please call me Ana." She looks to Christian, but he just nods to her with a smile on his face.

"Very well then. Would you like for me to start preparing dinner?"

"I think that would be nice, thank you Gail," Christian states as he starts to move from the kitchen to his left. "I want to show you around baby. This is your home now, so if you want to use any room, you can use it. Well maybe not Taylor and Gail's apartment, nor Luke's, but any room besides those is fine." I giggle into his chest as he shows me his CCTV room, a guest bedroom, his fitness room, and his bedroom, which is enormous. He puts me down on the bed as he starts unpacking my bags. "Would you like anything in a specific place Ana?"

"Oh no Christian, wherever you put things is fine." His room has light blue walls with silver trim. He has mahogany bedside tables and dressers and he has a walk-in closet. I see the door, which leads to his bathroom, but I can't make out what's in there because it's out of my line of sight. "Thank you so much doing this for me Christian. I know you mean well, but I don't want to seem like a burden to you. So if I start to annoy you, please let me know and I could always move into the room next to this." He stops what he's doing and comes over, kneeling before me.

"You're my girlfriend Ana, far from a burden. I want to protect you and make you happy, because you make me happy and proud to be your boyfriend." He leans up and places a chaste kiss on my lips before turning back to finish unpacking. After he's through, he lifts me and carries me over to the restroom. "I think my room will be best to reside in since I have this in my bathroom." We turn the corner into his bathroom and he has a hot tub, along with a shower. I can't help but feel my bones practically turning to goo, imaging soaking in a relaxing dip in the Jacuzzi. "See you can sit on the edge and slide in carefully without hurting your foot. Then you can easily rise and get out too."

"My boyfriend is so clever." I giggle before placing a lingering kiss on his lips. We head out of the bedroom and down the hall to another door.

"Close your eyes baby, please." I do as I'm asked and he walks into the room. I can already feel the light beaming in through a window. "Open your eyes baby," he whispers in my ear, making me shiver. I do and am mesmerized. Along with a wall completely made of glass looking out onto Seattle, there are two enormous walls of books. Along the fourth wall is a fireplace and two armchairs, both dark brown. In the middle of the room sits a grand piano.

"Oh my God Christian, this room…is astonishing. Oh it's simply wonderful."

"I thought you would like it baby. And if I can't be here to help you to this room, Gail can always help you. I know being cooped up all day in bed isn't the best thing, but this will be a pleasant thing to look forward to at the end of the day."

"Christian, I've never dreamed I would actually see a home library like they have in literature and movies, but this is amazing."

"Like I said before, I'm glad you like it Ana." I rest my hand against the side of his face and bring it closer to mine. Our lips meet and our eyes close, and I can see the fireworks going off in my head. As our kiss grows, my mind wanders over the past two months I've known him. He's been the perfect gentleman, waiting patiently for me to conquer my own demons and taking care to never push me beyond what I could handle. He's seen me on my worst days and has stood by my side. When I had my sudden panic attack today, I didn't panic over the fact I was hurt or thought he was going to abandon me. I instantly thought about him dying and how much it would kill me to loose him to something so simple as a rockslide. The more I thought about either one of us dying, I knew I could never be without him. He completes me, he makes me whole, he's another reason to keep living, and he cares about me even though I have panic attacks. He is mine and I am his, and I love him with all my heart.


	16. Chapter 16

CPOV

After a wonderful dinner complete with wine, I take a sleepy Ana to my room.

"Baby do you want to shower tonight or tomorrow," I ask as I cup her face after I've put her on my bed.

"Hmm, as much as I want to crawl into this comfy bed with you, I better get the dirt out of my hair. But before I do that, I'll call my parents."

"Okay baby, just yell for me when you're ready to go take a bath." I kiss her forehead and go into my study. I check on a few accounts and reply to a few emails before I hear her calling my name. "How are your parents?"

"Fine but a little worried about my injury, which is understandable. I didn't tell them I was here with you because Ray might come here and kill you."

"So your dad is still protective over you," I chuckle.

"Oh yeah. They all are, and they all are happy I'm in a relationship with a guy who respects me and cares for me, but they would like to meet you at some point." She starts to stand and I attempt to carry her, but she stops me. "Hang on, the doctor said I should exercise it a little everyday." She stands for about a minute before sitting back down on the bed. "Okay, maybe today wasn't the day to start rehab." She grimaces in pain and it hurts my heart.

"Do you want some ibuprofen baby?"

"No, I think a nice long soak in the tub will help." I pick her up and take her into the bathroom. I place her on the edge of the tub and show her how to work the controls. After that, I grab some towels and lay them near the edge so she can get them after she's done. "I'm going to be right in the other room baby, so if you need me, just holler." She gives me a sideways grin before kissing me passionately. I leave the door open just a crack and get changed in black and gray plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt. A terrifying thought comes to me while I'm answering emails: _What if I have a night terror tonight while we're in bed together?_ I've told her about them of course, but I don't want to hurt her further. But then again, I've only had one nightmare since I've met her, so maybe they will stay at bay tonight. After about thirty minutes, she calls me into the bathroom, and I take a pink set of her pajamas in for her. She's wrapped in the towels, one around her body and one around her hair.

"Enjoy your bath Ana?"

"I did. I've always felt to at ease near or in water." _Exactly like me._

"I do too. I think that's why I love to boat. Would you like to come out on my boat sometime?"

"I would love that!" I wrap the sports bandage back around her foot and give her the pajamas before going over to the sink brush my teeth. After I gargle, I think to myself how I should have left to let her change. But to my surprise when I turn around, she's already dressed and smiling at me. I help her hop to the sink so she can brush her teeth and then I carry her to bed. We lay and stare at each other while encased in each other's arms.

"What's going through your mind right now," I ask before kissing her nose.

"What did I do to deserve such an amazing, selfless, kind, considerate, hot boyfriend?" I chuckle before capturing her lips once more.

"What did I do to deserve a truly gorgeous goddess who respects everything and everyone, and cares for everyone around her?" She grins before she returns the kiss as hungrily as ever. I pull her closer so I'm laying on top of her as my tongue enters her mouth and battles with hers for dominance. She slowly glides her hands down my chest, feeling every muscle before she reaches the bottom of my shirt. She hesitantly puts her fingers against my skin, slowly creeping up. I swirl my tongue around her mouth before breaking the kiss to lean up and discard my shirt. I know in the back of my mind we're not going to have sex, but that doesn't mean I should deny her any access to my body while she's comfortable doing this. She stares at my chest and bites that delicious bottom lip. As our lips collide again, she runs her hands back up my chest. We both release a moan as she openly feels my chest. I am ecstatic the woman I love can touch my chest. My erection pokes her in the stomach and she releases both a gasp and a giggle, but I will not push her any further. "Baby we better stop. I don't want to push you and make you do something you'll regret." She looks a little disappointed at first, but reason comes to her soon.

"Okay we'll stop, but can I do something first?"

"Sure baby." She pushes me back on my side and shimmies down a little in the bed. Starting at my bellybutton, she kisses one scar and then another, and then another, until she has kissed every scar on my chest. My heart feels like it could explode from the love she is showing to my body. I feel tears begging to be released by as she kisses my mouth, she then moves up to kiss my eyes.

"Beautiful," she whispers as she stares into my eyes. I take her left hand and bring it up to examine. I flip her hand over to see her scar and kiss it multiple times.

"Perfect," I say as I look into her eyes as tears roll from them, to be quickly captured by my thumb. She lays her head against my chest as my arms wrap around her. "Goodnight baby."

"Goodnight sweetie." Sleep soon follows.

My annoying alarm clock stirs me from a perfect slumber. But as I smack it off, I look down at the angel wrapped around my body and my happiness returns. Just staring at her perfect face in her slumber fills me with love and comfort. I just wish this wasn't the week that is filled with mandatory meetings I have to attend. Ros and I are meeting with several co-owners of companies I own or are planning on purchasing and I have to be there, unfortunately. I somehow manage to slink out from under her body and slip into the shower, beating off to the several erotic images in my head that focus on her. After drying off and slipping on my dark gray robe, I sneak out of the room and head down the hall, going into the library. I'm so full of energy and joy I feel like playing. Soon the sound of the piano fills the room and I'm lost in my world, thinking of Ana and how my life has changed ever since I've met her. I wonder how soon I should tell her I love her. As my song comes to an end, I hear whimpering and sniffing behind me. I turn in my seat and see Ana standing in the doorway.

"Oh baby, are you alright," I ask as I run over to her. "What's wrong?" As soon as I reach her, she circles her arms around my neck and kisses me hard enough to nearly knock me over.

"You play so beautifully Christian. You play with so much feeling and power, it's almost like you bring the music to life," she whispers as I sweep away her tears. "What were you thinking of while you were playing that?" I smile before leaning my head against hers.

"You." She grins before she kisses me again. Her stomach grumbling pulls me back to reality.

"We better go eat." Despite my protests to just carry her, I help her hop to the kitchen, putting as little pressure on her foot as possible. Gail is smiling and waiting behind the island for our orders. "Good morning Gail," Ana and I say in unison.

"Good morning you two. Did you both sleep well?"

"We did thank you," Ana states.

"Very good. What would you like for breakfast?"

"I'll have two sausage links with a piece of toast please," Ana orders.

"I'll have the same please Gail." She turns to get the meal ready while Ana and I read the morning paper. When our dishes are ready, we eat and talk about what we have planned for the day. Ana called her boss yesterday while on the way home and after explaining what happened, her boss said it would be fine for her to work from home. "I'm sorry I have to go to work today Ana. If it wasn't demanded I attend these meetings, I would be here all day every day while you're recouping." I help her back into the bedroom and lay out her clothes she can dress in today.

"It's okay Christian, I understand. It won't be as fun if you were here, but all I'm going to be doing today is working on stuff Jack emails me, so I'll just be in bed most of the day, except when doing my exercises."

"Speaking of which, make sure you have Gail help you when you do them." I step out of my walk in closet and button the last button I have on my black suit jacket. She is already dressed and is sitting up with her laptop in her lap. She looks me up and down and I see her eyes darken. "See something you like Ms. Steele?"

"Like I said yesterday, your attractiveness is really unfair to mankind." I chuckle before kissing her long but gently. I pull away and stare into her eyes. I want to tell her I love her, but maybe one day soon, I'll tell her. "I'll miss you too Christian."

"Not as much as I'll miss you." _I have to leave before I cave and piss Ros and everyone else off._ "Have a good day baby."

"You too sweetie." I step out of the bedroom, call for Taylor, and pray this day goes by fast.

 **Author's Note: The song I imagined Christian playing is Sunrise by Doug Hammer**


	17. Chapter 17

APOV

I'm going crazy and I'm really close to giving up for the day and crawling back into bed. I need to keep my ankle raised to reduce the swelling, but it's making my laptop wiggle, even with a pillow underneath it. Plus I can hardly concentrate with Christian being on my mind constantly. I sigh and close my laptop and put it on the bed before rubbing my face in frustration.

"Ana," Gail's soft voice comes from the doorway.

"Hi Gail."

"It's about time for lunch. What would you like?"

"Oh I'm not really picky so whatever you want to make, I'll have." She gives me a comforting smile before she exits the room. My phone rings and I look down to see it's Christian. "Hi Christian."

"Hi Ana, how are you?" Hearing his voice even over the phone makes me miss him more.

"I'm fine but I'm getting frustrated with my computer."

"Is it not working?"

"No, it's just not balancing on my lap very well since I have to elevate my ankle so it's getting on my nerves."

"Well that's understandable. Have you had lunch yet?"

"No but Gail is making it now."

"What about your exercises?"

"We're going to do them after lunch."

"Okay great. I have to go now because my next meeting is here, but I just wanted to let you know I miss you."

"I miss you too Christian."

"I'll try to be home early tonight."

"Okay, have a great rest of the day."

"You too baby. Bye."

"Bye." I sigh and smile to myself. Gail comes back into the room and helps me hop out to the kitchen. We sit and have lunch together and she tells me about how she met Jason and their wedding and his daughter Sophie from a previous marriage. She is so kind and caring and I can tell she loves Christian like he were her own son and it makes me love her that much more. The sound of the elevator arriving makes my hopes raise into thinking it's Christian, but a man with red buzz cut hair comes out dressed in a suit like Jason.

"Ana this is Luke Sawyer."

"Oh you're Mia's boyfriend."

"Yes ma'am I am. Pleasure to meet you Ms. Steele."

"Oh God, please do not call me ma'am. Call me Ana please."

"Will do. By the way, this just arrived for you in the mail." He holds out a large brown box that has nothing fancy about it. I open it and find a gray tabletop looking thing with curved edges. It's not too large, just about large enough for a laptop to sit on. And then it occurs to me; it's a laptop desk. I smile as I spot a light gray card.

 _For my hard-working girlfriend- C. G._

Needless to say my smile is glued to my face. After wobbling back to the bedroom, I grab my phone and text Christian.

 _Best Boyfriend Award goes to Christian Grey. Thank you so much for the laptop desk ~Ana_

 _Nothing but the best for my girl ;) ~Christian_

I swoon a little more before Gail comes back in and helps me with my exercises. We talk more about our families and how she came to work for Christian. She reminds me so much of my own mom, it's no wonder that Christian respects her. After two hours of exercises, I go back to work on my duties I got from SIP today with my new laptop desk, which keeps my laptop in place. _Hallelujah!_

It's well into the evening when there is a light tap on my door and in pops Christian. He's dressed in a tight white halter-top that ties in the middle of his pecks. His hard abs are on full display and lead my eyes down to a tiny white skirt that has a red apron in the front with the white Red Cross symbol on the front. On his legs are white fishnet stockings and he has on red flats. On his head rests a small red cap with the Red Cross symbol on it too. _He's in a sexy nurse's outfit!_ I curl into a ball as the laughing fit takes over and tears roll down my face.

"Well I'm glad my patient is feeling better," he says in a high pitch voice that makes me laugh even harder. After I have calmed down, I look up to see him smiling down at me while he sits on the bed near me.

"Why are you dressed in that Christian?"

"I figured you needed a little laugh today."

"Where on Earth did you find that costume?"

"At a novelty shop. I had to search for a long time to find it in my size."

"Well even as a sexy nurse, you're still my adorable boyfriend. Thank you again for the laptop desk." I reach up and kiss him passionately.

"You're welcome. I was so bored at those damn meetings today. All I thought of was you."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Well, you were on my mind a lot today too. Should we go have dinner?"

"Sure but first let me change out of this outfit."

"Oh come on! You don't want to wear that outfit to dinner with Gail, Jason, and Luke?" I giggle as he wiggles his eyebrows at me.

"If I did, they would never let me live it down." He starts undressing and I can't seem to tear my eyes away. I watch as his muscles contract and bend as he strips and puts on a t-shirt and jeans. He'd be one of those perfect male models artists would be fighting over to draw. He walks back over and cups my face bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Did you have a nice day," I ask still slightly dazed.

"I did, but you kind of already asked me that."

"Oh I did. I must have been distracted by your sexiness." His chuckle fills the room before he plants his soft lips on mine. It's a slow, sensual kiss at first but soon builds and tells me he certainly missed me today too. He helps me up and we head out the kitchen to have a nice dinner with everyone. I practically begged everyone to do it, except for Christian. They all seemed like they were going against the rules in dining with us, until Christian told them it was all right. I learn more about Jason and Luke and hear fun stories they both have, and how Luke met Mia. They were at a charity function, both had arrived separately, and when Luke saw Mia got stood up, Luke offered her a dance and the rest fell into place.

After taking a nice wash in the tub again, Christian crawls into bed next to me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. I lean forward and press my lips against his, and his tongue soon slides along my lips, asking for entrance into my mouth. He places his hands on my hips and pulls me closer to him while my hands go down his shirt-covered chest. His fingers lightly brush my exposed skin under my shirt and goose bumps develop. He starts to pull his hands away, but I grab them and place them back on my bare stomach.

"Baby, we shouldn't," he warns before I silence him with a finger pressed to his lips.

"Please Christian. I want someday for you to make love to me, so I need to be comfortable with you touching me. I'm very comfortable now, so please don't stop." He swiftly captures my lips again as his hands slowly travel up under my shirt across my stomach. His hands inch their way up to the underside of my breasts and when he grazes his fingers across them, I gasp at the sensation. No one has ever touched my breasts, but I long for him to. "Christian," I moan and I feel my face heat at the sound that just came from me.

"Do you want me to touch your breasts baby," his voice is husky and I feel his growing erection against my stomach.

"Yes," I gasp out. Without raising my shirt, his warm hands come up and cup my breasts. My moans increase as he massages them, his thumb gliding over my nipples making them erect.

"Baby, your beautiful breasts fit perfectly into my hands." He bends his head down and kisses my clothed right breast. It makes me jump but the wetness between my thighs increases. _Oh God, it feels so good!_ "Did you like that Ana?"

"Yes!" He moves over and kisses my other nipple and I release another moan. I'm squirming with want underneath him as he continues to knead my breasts and pinch my nipples gently. It feels like there is a coil building up in my stomach needing to be released. My hands slide their way up into Christian's hair and tug lightly and he groans against my neck. "Christian…please!" _What the hell am I begging for?_

"Do you want me to make you cum Ana?" _Oh my God, so fucking hot!_

"Yes," I practically scream. He grips my breasts a little harder and through the fabric, he gently bites and tugs on my right nipple. The coil releases and I come undone under him. My eyes roll into the back of my head and I arch my back and press my chest into him. I fall back against the bed and try to catch my breath as he kisses my neck and back up to my lips. He cups my face as he looks down into my eyes and he smiles his megawatt smile.

"Did you enjoy your first orgasm baby?"

"Yeah!" He chuckles as he leans his forehead against mine and kisses me nose. "Is this what it was like with the other women?"

"No baby. I only fucked them. I never worshiped their bodies like I do yours. I still can't believe I made you cum by just teasing your breasts." I groan and cover my flushing face with my hands. Hearing him talk like that…"What is it Ana? Do you not like it when I talk dirty to you?"

"No, I mean yes! I mean, oh my God!" _Could my face get any redder?_ He chuckles and pulls my hands away from my face and smiles down at me.

"Baby, I'm only going to give you pleasure when you allow me, however you want that pleasure."

"But what about…your pleasure," I ask nervously, feeling his erection nudging me in the hip.

"I get my pleasure out of giving you pleasure, Anastasia." I smile up at him and capture his lips again before we lie down and hold each other close. His erection ever present makes my mind wander. I would like to give him the same experience he gave me, but I don't know how. _Kate._ God this will be one awkward conversation.


	18. Chapter 18

CPOV

As my alarm goes off, I reach over Ana's sleeping body to smack it off. I nuzzle into her neck, inhaling her wonderful smell. I hear her release a slight moan as my morning wood rubs into her stomach. God with last night's activities, I was sure I was going to explode in my boxers. Then we would have had a serious situation on our hands. I can't wait for the day I make love to Ana, but I will wait until she is ready. She arches her neck to give me better access and I nibble along her neck and collarbone and hear her giggle. God how I love that sound; I love everything about this woman.

"Mmm, Christian, you better get up. You shouldn't be late for work," she moans out.

"But I don't want to go today. I just want to stay home today and snuggle with you," I mumble against the skin of her shoulders.

"But you have those meetings today." _Damn it._

"God I hate work sometimes," I groan out of frustration. She giggles and catches my face in her hands, bringing my head down to her awaiting lips. Her kiss is tender, yet has a hint of neediness. "I'll go hop in the shower before we have breakfast."

"Okay, I'll be right here." I rise off her body and stretch out my muscles. I hear her gasp and look to her to see she's looking at my lower half. She quickly turns away as her face becomes pink with her blush. I look down and see the tent in my pants. I chuckle as I walk to get my clothes ready for the day.

"That's all due to you baby," I say as I enter the bathroom. I hear her moan out of embarrassment and I can only smile to myself at her innocence.

After jerking off to calm my raging hard-on, cumming silently imaging pounding slowly into Ana, I dress and walk back into the bedroom to find Ana has fallen back asleep. I sit next to her and stroke her face as I see her eyes flutter open. She turns and smiles up at me before I plant my lips against hers.

"Come on baby, time for breakfast." She gets up and I help her hop out to the kitchen to enjoy a nice breakfast with everyone. Afterwards, she gets dressed while I get ready to depart. I come out of the bathroom to see she's already curled up on the bed with her new laptop desk ready to use again. "You're such a hard worker Ana. If you had needed a job when we met for the interview, I would have offered you a job on the spot."

"I wouldn't have been able to focus all day thinking of you," she admits as her cheeks flush again. I reach down and kiss each one before I kiss her eyes and finally leave a longing kiss on her lips.

"I'm going to miss you so much today."

"I'll miss you more. But the sooner you go, the sooner you'll come back."

"You're right. Have a great day baby. I'll see you later tonight." I want to tell I love her and to hear it come from her mouth too.

"Okay, have a wonderful day Christian. Go kick some ass!" I laugh loudly as I grab Taylor and head to GEH.

On the ride to work, my mind keeps going back to the beautiful woman who is my girlfriend, working her butt off in my apartment.

"Taylor, how long was it until you realized you loved Gail?" I see him smirk in the mirror.

"Oh about three hours after first meeting her."

"Oh shit, really?" I'm sure my eyebrows are about to fly off my forehead.

"Yeah. At first, I thought she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. Then I heard her speak so fondly of her life and her passions. And that was the same day you were in a super shitty mood. You came home and threw a vase clear across the room. She was angry, but she was more upset that you were upset. She marched straight in front of you and told you if you ever did anything so childish again, she'd quit."

"Shit I remember that day too. I was so surprised she told me off like that, but I saw she had great power to stand up to me."

"And her spunk is what made me fall in love with her." I snicker as we pull up outside GEH. "Christian, I know Ana will be the perfect addition to your family. She makes you happy and completes you, and you complete her, Just tell me the day before you're gong to propose so I can get Gail about ten boxes of tissues." We burst into laughter as we head into work.

I'm bouncing on the balls of my feet as we ascend up to the apartment. Today didn't seem as long as yesterday, but I still have three more days of these mandatory meetings. Maybe next year I'll make it a teleconference? I hop out of the elevator with Taylor and see Gail working in the kitchen.

"Hello Gail."

"Hello Christian. Ana is in the library with Kate." It took a few days for Gail to finally start calling me Christian. It's because of Ana I don't want to be know as Mr. Grey by my staff here; at work yes, but at my home, no. I bolt to the library door and find it open slightly. I hear the girls quietly laughing and I stand just outside the door, eavesdropping.

"Do you think I can do it," Ana asks quietly through her giggles.

"Oh yeah, it might take a bit of practice, but you'll get the hang of it," Kate tells her nonchalantly. _What are they talking about?_

"What if I do it wrong?"

"Then he'll let you know. Just do it nice and slow and gentle. And if you don't feel like you're ready for it Ana, then don't do it. There's no set time that you'll have to do it." _Okay, now I have to know!_ I clear my throat and knock on the door.

"Hello ladies," I say as I enter the room. I see Ana is flushed and smiling up at me. Kate is putting her laptop away in her bag and has an unpeeled banana. _Why does she have that?_

"Hi Christian," they say together. I lean down and give Ana a much-needed kiss and turn to give Kate a quick hug.

"I have to go. Elliot's taking me dancing tonight, so I have to go get ready. Bye you two!" Kate bounds out of the room, laying the banana on the kitchen island.

"What was Kate doing with that banana?"

"Oh she, wanted one while she was finishing up a project on her computer, but I guess her hunger went away." She smiles up at me, trying to convince me she's not lying. I smirk and sit on the couch before pulling her into my lap. Our lips meet and our tongues delve into each other's mouths. She shuffles around so she's straddling me. Her hands find their way into my hair and give it a pull as my hands go down her back and glide over her beautiful ass. I squeeze it ever so lightly and she moans into my mouth as our tongues continue to fight for dominance. I push my growing erection into her and hear her gasp again before she pulls away, panting for breath like me. "I missed you so much today Christian."

"I missed you too baby. How was your day?"

"It was great. Worked on work stuff and did exercises with Gail and am working on getting better everyday. How was your day?"

"It was great too. I own another business and by the end of the week, I'll make another billion."

"Oh that's great Christian! Congratulations!" She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me passionately. After a few more minutes of making out, we break apart again. "Let's go out to the kitchen. I want to show you how to make spaghetti."

After successfully learning how to make spaghetti and hearing many praises from Ana, Gail, Taylor, and Luke, we head into our bedroom. She calls her parents while I enjoy a nice shower, stroking my dick once again to images of her. We trade and while she bathes, I get out her pajama set with little sheep on them. I chuckle to myself at her adorable pajamas and hope one day soon to see her in sexy lingerie. When she's done, I brush my teeth like last night while she changes and then help her to the sink. Once she's done, we lay on the bed and just snuggle.

"Christian…can I…try something on you please," Ana asks shyly, looking at me for permission.

"Sure baby." She pushes my shoulders gently so I'm lying on my back and she carefully straddles me on my thighs.

"Okay before I do this, if I do something wrong, please tell me, because I don't want this to feel wrong or mess it up." I quickly lean up a little and cup her face.

"Ana, I'm sure whatever you're about to do will be just fine. Just take your time and feel comfortable." She smiles down at me before bringing her lips down on mine, gently at first but it grows. As her tongue enters my mouth, her hands slide down the sides of my body until she reaches my shirt end. She pushes it up and I soon throw it to some part of the room. She then goes down and places kisses along my neck as I lay my hands gingerly on her hips. She continues her trail down and soon she reaches my left nipple. She looks coyly up at me before flicking her tongue across it. "Shit Ana," I moan out as I involuntarily buck my hips against her slowly. She smirks and she kisses her way across to my right nipple and licks it too. I continue moaning as she kisses her way down my stomach. When she reaches the brim of my pajama pants, she quickly leans up and carefully bites my nipples, not hard but enough for me to buck my erection against her. She hooks her thumbs under the rim and slowly pulls my pants down my legs. When she sends them flying in the air, I grab her wrists softly. "Ana, I don't think we're ready to move to our relationship to a sexual one." I want to, I want to SO BADLY, but we only became boyfriend and girlfriend the other day.

"Oh we're not going to have sex Christian. But I want to give you pleasure the way you gave me pleasure." She grins wickedly at me before kissing me again. As she kisses me, her hand reaches down and starts to stroke my cock through my boxers. I groan against her lips and hear her breathing heavy. "Do you like the way I stroke your cock Christian," she whispers into my ear. _Oh my God, she just dirty talked! So mother fucking hot!_

"Oh baby! Your hand on my dick makes me so hard. I love it!" Her grip gets a little harder as she picks up speed a little. I look into her eyes and see it full of lust and wanting while her cheeks heat at the sight. She reaches down with her left hand and massages my balls. I know I won't last any longer. "Oh baby, I'm gonna cum!" Faster than I can blink, she undoes the button to the hole in my boxers and springs my dick free and places her warm lips around me while her hand still strokes me. I cum hard, almost screaming her name as I pump my juice into her mouth. She releases me with a pop of her mouth and smiles up at me devilishly.

"Delicious." I continue to pant and she tucks my cock back into my boxers. She crawls back up me and I catch her lips, flipping us over in the process. She giggles under me as I pull away from her and look into her eyes.

"Best hand job/blowjob ever."

"Really?"

"By far baby. Is that why Kate had the banana?" She blushes once more and nods silently. I chuckle leaning my head against hers before I kiss my way down to her ear. "Ready for your pleasure baby?"


	19. Chapter 19

APOV

As I lie back on the bed with Christian hovering over me, my heart races under his touch.

"Now remember," his husky whisper comes into my ear, making me pant. "I won't see you naked until you tell me when you're ready. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't remove some barriers in our way should we?" He kisses along my neck and I arch into his touch. His hands snake under my shirt and begin kneading my breasts while his index finger and thumbs roll my nipples, making them hard. I moan as I arch my body further into his hands. He kisses my exposed stomach and flicks his tongue into my naval.

"Christian," I moan and giggle from the tickle of his tongue. He kisses along the brim of my underwear and slowly pulls my pajama pants down in the process, leaving my underwear in place. His other hand leaves my breasts and glides along my body. I look down and see Christian's eyes are nearly black as he pushes my legs up a little, placing his leg in between mine.

"If you need me to stop baby, tell me." He leans up and kisses me hard. I cup his face as he pulls away.

"Don't stop Christian." He moves down my body again and as I look down into his eyes. He sniffs my clothed pussy, which makes me blush ten times harder before he kisses it. I jump at the touch and fling my head back, clutching the sheets around me. He kisses me again before he licks my covered hole.

"Oh Anastasia, you're so wet. Rubbing and sucking my cock made your pussy soaking wet." I moan at his words as I feel him move his fingers under my underwear while his other hand hold my left thigh. He rubs one finger along my folds and rubs my clitoris a little harder. My back arches off the bed, pushing my lower half harder into his hands. "So wet baby, I love it!" He pushes a little harder against my hole, never going into it with his digit. "Do you want me to finger fuck you Ana?" _Oh fuck yes!_

"Yes! Finger fuck me Christian!" He slides two fingers into me and we both moan in pleasure from the sensations. Slowly he pumps his fingers in and out of me as I pant uncontrollably. God I love the feel of his fingers in me! He pumps a little faster and I moan his name. I'm so close now as I arch further off the bed.

"Shall I make you cum Ana?"

"Yes God Christian! Make me cum on your fingers!" _Thank you Kate for teaching me how to talk dirty too!_ He flexes his fingers so the move along my G-spot and he flicks my clit over and over as I call out his name and clamp on his fingers. I fall back onto the bed and try to catch my breath as he removes his fingers from me. I look into his eyes as he places his fingers in his mouth and sucks on them. He then crawls back up the bed with a broad grin on his face.

"Yummy." I fling my arms around his neck and kiss him with all I have before we drift off to sleep in each other's arms.

 _Two weeks later_

These past two weeks have flown by. Today is the last day of my recouping and I should be able to go back to work when Monday comes around. I can walk with very little pain but I still rest a lot, working on exercises with Gail throughout the day. I managed to persuade Christian to go to work everyday, leaving me to work on my stuff at Escala. As each day comes and goes, my love for Christian intensifies. I want to tell him I love him so badly, but I'm afraid he won't say it back. I know he cares deeply for me and would do anything I asked of him, but does he love me like I love him? Does it take men longer to fall in love? Are there signs he's in love with me?

I'm sitting in the library reading one of the Hardy novels Christian gave me when I hear a clang from the kitchen.

"God damn it," comes the distinctive voice of Christian. _He didn't tell me he was home._ I get up and open the door to find Luke standing in my way.

"Luke is Christian home?"

"Yes but you have to stay in the library." I cross my arms over my chest and give him a suspicious look. He grins and blocks one side of his mouth with his hand. "It's a surprise," he whispers leaving me to have a grin across my face.

"Well can I at least know if Christian is okay Mr. Sneaky?"

"Hey I'm not the one who is keeping you in here." I've grown to love Luke like the brother I've never had. He peaks around the corner to the kitchen. "Hey boss, Ana wants to know if you're alright."

"Oh yeah! I'm fine baby just don't come out, not yet," he shouts from around the corner, sounding a little nervous.

"Okay well just be careful whatever you're doing," I shout back as I step back into the library.

"He'll be fine. Gail is with him," Luke says with a smile as he shuts the door behind me.

Forty-five minutes later and I hear a knock at the door. I look up at a shy-looking Christian.

"Hi Christian, are you okay? What was that clanging I heard?"

"Oh well it's a part of the surprises I have in store for you tonight." I walk up to him and he quickly envelops me into his arms.

"I like surprises. How many are there?"

"Three. For the first surprise can you get dressed in one of your dresses? You don't have to wear heels because of your foot."

"Sure sweetie, anything for you." I give him a quick kiss before we depart into our bedroom. _Our bedroom._ I'd like to stay here after I've healed up, but I don't want to smother Christian. He changes in the bathroom while I change into my black dress with cap sleeves that has lines of blue running from my right shoulder to wrap around my left hip. I just wear my tennis shoes since my foot is still recovering and I don't want to take any chances in heels. Christian comes out of the bathroom in a blue dress shirt with his black jacket handing on his arm. He looks up at me and smiles his megawatt smile.

"Gorgeous as ever baby."

"And handsome as ever Christian." I take his extended arm and we walk to elevator. I'm surprised when we ascend instead of going into the parking garage. As the car comes to a stop, Christian walks behind me and places his hands over my eyes. I feel the night air creeping up my legs as we carefully walk ahead.

"Surprise number one baby." He removes his hands and after blinking, I see a large helicopter in my sight with the name _Charlie Tango_ written across the side.

"Oh Christian it's wonderful, and huge!" He laughs as he helps me into the passenger side. He buckles me in before he takes his place in the pilot's seat. I put on my earphones as he instructs and watch in awe as he takes control and talks to someone about us taking off. Within a few minutes, we're flying high above Seattle, watching as the evening shadows grow and the sunset lights stream across the city. Tears come to my eyes as I watch the surprise the man of my dreams play out.

"Almost as beautiful as you Anastasia." I turn to face him and he quickly wipes away a tear. After 30 minutes, we land back on Escala's roof. Hand in hand, we step into the elevator and head home. Once again as the car begins to slow at our destination, he places his hands over my eyes. We step out into his kitchen and stop. "Surprise number two Ana." He pulls his hands away and standing in the kitchen is his family.


	20. Chapter 20

CPOV

Ana turns from looking at my family standing in the kitchen with loved filled eyes.

"Getting to meet your family? Great surprise sweetie," she beams at me before giving me a hug. We head into the kitchen and Mia is the first to pounce on Ana.

"Oh Ana it's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Mia but you probably already knew that. Oh my God I love your dress. You're so beautiful," she squeals all in one sentence grabbing and crushing Ana to her body.

"It's nice to finally meet you too Mia," Ana states through gasps of breath. When my sister finally releases her she comes to hug me.

"She loves you so much Christian. I can tell by the way she looks at you," Mia whispers in my ear. Ana steps forward to shake hands with my mom but gets pulled into a hug as well.

"My dear I have wanted to meet you since the gala," Mom states with motherly affection.

"Well no better time than the present I guess. It's so very nice to meet you formally now Grace." Dad is next to meet her and shakes her outstretched hand.

"It's nice to meet the woman my son raves about. I'm Carrick."

"It's nice to meet you as well Carrick but did you just say your son raves about me?" She shyly looks over her shoulders at me and I feel my face flush.

"Oh yes, quite the chatterer this one is." _Thanks Dad_ , I think as I mentally face palm myself. Elliot and Kate give her hugs before we sit down at the table joined by Jason, Gail, and Luke. We enjoy a hearty meal of Chicken Alfredo with side salads and some of Gail's delicious biscuits. I can see she's already excited for Ana's third surprise. Conversation flows freely around the table but Ana has caught everyone's attention several times. She's smart, funny, witty, sarcastic, kind, and so many other things. I love her so much. But is she ready to hear that I love her? When it's time for dessert Gail gets up and heads to the kitchen.

"Surprise number three baby," I whisper into Ana's ear, causing her to shiver. Gail comes back and puts the container on the table. She pulls off the cover and standing is my chocolate cake with vanilla icing. That's right, I made a cake! With Gail's supervision of course.

"Christian you made this," Ana asks happily.

"Sure did baby." She leans over and gives me a kiss while everyone grabs a piece. For the next five minutes I hear praises over and over again about the wonderful cake, and it is rather good. After we all have a second piece, we all share rounds of hugs before parting for the night. I saw tears in my mom's eyes more than once and I'm sure she's just as happy as I am I found someone who completes me.

"Thank you for helping me with the cake this afternoon Gail, I appreciated it."

"You're welcome Christian. It tasted so delicious." I about turn and leave her washing the dishes when I turn back around and hug her. She freezes in my arms, registering this is the first time I've hugged her.

"Thanks for being a second mother to me." I pull away and wipe away her tears of happiness before Ana gives her a hug as well. Hand in hand we head into the bedroom.

As soon as I shut the door, Ana is on me, kissing me passionately until we've backed against the bed. She gently pushes on my shoulders and I sit on the edge of the bed.

"I have a surprise for you too Christian," she purrs as she turns around so I can watch her unzip her dress. As it slides down her body, my breathing stops at the sight of her lingerie underneath. When the dress pools at her feet, she's dressed in a white corset that has light blue lace wrapping around the tops of her breasts and down the front in the shape of a V. Her boy shorts match with blue lace along the brim and around her legs. _Oh God, I'm going to explode before she even touches me!_ "Do you like it?"

"Like it? No. Love it? Yes! Your body is screaming to be touched."

"I want you to do more than touch me Christian. I want you to make love to me." _Did I just hear her right?_

"What," I barely whisper.

"I'm ready and I want my first time to be with you." I leap out of bed and wrap my arms around her waist before my lips crash onto hers. I pick her up and her legs wrap around my center as I walk her over to the bed and lay her down.

"Are you sure baby?"

"Yes Christian, I want you so badly."

"Then you shall have me." I plant my lips on hers once more as we begin to take off my jacket and shirt. Next go my pants to be flung somewhere else in the room. I get under the sheets with her and hover over her as my hands slide under her back to undo the hooks holding the corset together. It soon comes apart and I slide it down her body, watching goose bumps appear in its place. I fling it somewhere and look down at the beautiful woman beneath me as my cock twitches again. "Oh Ana, you're mesmerizingly beautiful." She blushes harder as I look at her perfect perky breasts with darker pink nipples becoming erect. I lean down and kiss her left breast causing her to jump before I kiss her right and slide my tongue to lick her nipple. She gasps my name and pushes her pelvis into my growing erection. I kiss and such her other nipple before I kiss my way down her stomach until I reach her panties.

"Oh Christian," she mewls. I hook my fingers under the material and slowly bring it down her legs, kissing her legs as I go. Again I stare at the woman I love, naked and trusting me to be her first. I hope to be her first and only soon. I kiss her pelvic bone and part her moist folds. Her clit is swollen and aching to be touched. I kiss it and have to hold her legs apart so she doesn't close them around my head. I lap my tongue from the base up to her clit and watch in pleasure as she bows off the bed from the sensation. I stick and swirl my tongue around in her hole and nearly cum from her delicious taste. I suck and lick as I feel her hands go into my hair and pull it gently. "Christian I'm gonna cum!" I lick faster and rub her clit with my thumb and feel her walls clamp and her juices flow down onto my awaiting tongue. After she has calmed down, I kiss my way back up her body and look into glazed eyes. I slide out of my boxers, freeing my painful erection. She raises her knees and I position my cock at her entrance.

"Are you still on the pill?"

"Yes," she pants.

"Do you want me to use a condom?"

"No, I know you're clean."

"Are you sure you want this baby. We can stop right now if you want." She places her hands on the sides of my face and pulls me down to her and kisses me.

"Fuck me with your fat cock Christian." _God that was fucking hot!_ I ease my way into her and see her face scrunch in pain. I fill her to the hilt and we both moan in ecstasy.

"Oh baby you're so tight, so good. Are you okay?"

"Yes Christian. Please move." I slowly pump into her at a steady rhythm and our lips meet once again. I slide my hands into hers on the sides of her head and look deep into her eyes, as our souls seem to morph into one. "Faster baby! Please!" I pump faster into her and feel her walls clamp on me as she cums. "Oh God Christian I love you!" I freeze and look into her shocked and scared eyes.

"What?" You'd think I'd have a hearing problem from saying 'what' so much tonight.

"I…didn't mean…I'm sorry."

"No Ana say it again please," I say with a silly grin on my face.

"I love you Christian Trevelyan Grey," she whispers as tears fall down her face onto the pillows.

"Do you know how long I've wanted to tell you I love you Anastasia Rose Steele? I've wanted to shout it from the rooftops for about a month and a half. I love you so much Ana."

"You do?"

"Oh Ana." I raise her leg a little and pound into her gently, filling her even more. "I love your goddess-like body. I love your love for books. I love your work ethic and your sarcastic tone. I love that dirty mouth you have when you're upset or horny for me. I love you during your panic attacks." She moans again as I thrust in deeper and faster. "And I love how you cum for me." Right as the words leave my mouth, she comes undone. After a few more hard thrusts I moan out her name and shoot my load into her. I lie beside her looking into her unsure eyes. "My surprises tonight represented my love for you Ana. The helicopter represented how you shed light on my dark life and showed me the sky is the limit for loving you when we first met." She smiles as she cries once more and I dash the tears away with my kisses. "The second was to represent the second night I met you at the gala. You had already met my family, unknowingly. We both know I had issues with my family touching me, but you showed me love for my family could out weight fear. The third represented the time you showed me how to make a cake. I had little confidence in myself. You once again showed me through your love that I needed to love myself more. My love for you grew more and more every day. I just had to wait until the right moment to tell you." I cup her face as she continues to cry at my confession.

"So you love me for me?"

"I love you for you Ana." She giggles before throwing her arms around my neck and snuggling into me.

"I love you for you Christian." I kiss her hard as a lone happy tear escapes my eye as I realize I have found true happiness.


	21. Chapter 21

As I stretch out my body, it feels delightfully sore and I can only smile at the thought of last night. I look up at Christian who is still asleep and my heart swells once more. He loves me; he truly loves me. And I love him with all I have. The urge to pee hits me so I manage to wiggle out of his constricting hold and head into the bathroom. When I come out in my housecoat he's still asleep and I get a wicked idea. I gently crawl up onto the bed and straddle him feeling his morning erection hit my butt. My desire grows as I begin kissing his chest.

"Wake up my love and I shall make you a happy man," I whisper into his ear as I kiss his neck. He moans and begins to stretch out as I marvel once again at his toned body.

"You already make me a happy man with your love, my goddess," he says as he's becoming more awake. I kiss my way down to his erection and kiss his shaft on both sides before I lick the precum away. "Oh God Ana, you're the best." I smile up at him slyly as I take his whole length into my mouth. Sucking and swirling my tongue around the head, my heads bobs up and down as I hear him moan my name. I feel him bucking under me and I know he's close. I release him and stroke him with my hand faster.

"Cum in my mouth Christian. Shoot your hot load in my wet mouth." I stick out my tongue and feel his cum shoot onto it and in my mouth as he calls out my name. I swallow the slightly bitter liquid and lick him clean. He rises after recovering and crawls to me and kisses me hard enough to knock me down.

"God I love you Ana," he says after running out of air from kissing me so passionately.

"I love you too Christian."

"Can I try something on you?" I nod quickly and feel the wetness between my thighs increase. He takes my housecoat off but removes the sash from around the middle. He flips us over and lays my hands above my head near the bedposts. "If you feel like you're about to panic, tell me to stop and I will."

"Okay but I highly doubt I will need you to stop." He smiles devilishly at me before he threads the sash around the bedpost. He takes it and ties my wrists together. He then brings it up and over my eyes and ties it around my head.

"I'll be right back okay?"

"Okay but hurry back please. I need you." I hear him shuffle off the bed and run out of the bedroom. Within a minute he comes back and shuts the door.

"Seeing you stretched out on my bed Ana makes me so hard. You're body is sinful." Jeez even though I can't see him, his words still make me blush. I feel the bed dip and he places his lips against mine softly before he kisses me up to my ear. "Your pussy is drenching wet for me, isn't it Anastasia?"

"Yes Christian!" He smirks against my neck before he moves away from me. I don't feel anything for what seems like an eternity until I hear a swoosh noise and feel something cold, wet and soft against my left nipple going down along my boob until it hits my hips. He does the same down my right side. "Shit that's cold!"

"Such a dirty little mouth Anastasia. Shall I sweeten it up?"

"Yes please."

"Stick out your tongue baby." I do and feel the sensation on my tongue and register it's whip cream.

"Mmm, so yummy."

"Almost as yummy as you baby," I hear him say before I feel his tongue licking my pussy. I arch my back and want to grab his hair to push him into me more. He spreads some whip cream on my hole and on my clit. He licks and sucks it dry while I moan out his name. Once he's done he licks his way back up on both sides before he kisses me once more. "Now Anastasia, do you think we can move you over onto you're knees?" I flip over and he helps me lean up so my ass is sticking up but my front is lying still on the mattress. He sucks my once more as I mewl and try to move back into him. "What do you want Anastasia," he asks with his sultry voice.

"I want you to fuck me from behind with your huge cock Christian. Ram it into me over and over again!"

"Then that is what you shall receive." He eases into me at first as we moan in pleasure but soon he's thrusting into me harder and faster than last night.

"Oh yes Christian! Yes!" I'm soon meeting his thrusts and cum hard. He reaches around and rubs my clit to prolong my orgasm. I pick back up my pace and ram into him as we both cum at the same time. After a few minutes to catch our breaths, he reaches up and unties my hands and uncovers my eyes. "Oh Christian I love you so much."

"I love you too Ana." Our lips meet once more before we head for the bathroom.

After a hot shower filled with steamy shower sex, Christian and I are resting in the library when my phone goes off and I see it's my dad calling me.

"Hi Dad."

"Hi kiddo. I'm free this weekend and was wondering if you would like to go camping."

"Oh I would love to! Can Christian come too? I think it's time you two meet."

"…As long as he brings his own sleeping bag and tent."

"He will Dad don't worry."

"Alright then, he may come."

"Okay! It will take us some time to pack but we'll be at the camp grounds soon."

"Okay kiddo I'll see you there. Love you."

"Love you too Dad." I hang up and look to Christian.

"So we're going camping with your dad as long as I bring my own tent and sleeping bag?"

"Please Christian?"

"Nothing would make me happier baby," he says as he kisses me temple.

"Okay then, let's go pack!"


	22. Chapter 22

CPOV

This has been the worst camping trip of my life! I mean, getting to go spend time with Ana and getting to know her father has been fine, but nothing has been going my way. First I leaned into a tree and got splinters while we were hiking. Next I brushed past poison ivy so I'm itching off the wall. I also spilled my lunch we packed on the hiking trip so Ana gave me part of hers. When we went fishing, my hook caught in my thumb and I didn't catch anything. And when I started the fire to cook the fish, I burned my hand. God her father must think I'm a fuck up for sure. How will he give me his blessings now? Is it required to have the father's blessings? Probably not but it would make Ana happy knowing her father approves of the man asking for her hand.

"Here Christian," Ana calls me from my thoughts as I stare into the fire moping. Ray is sitting on the other side of the fire cooking the fish. "This is for your poison ivy, and this is for your burn." She hands me two ointments.

"Thank you Ana," I say with a false grin on my face.

"You're welcome. I'm going to go use their restroom really quickly." She kisses my forehead before running to the park's building. I go back into my own personal world of misery.

"Christian," Ray says calling my attention.

"Yes sir?"

"You have my blessings." He turns his attention back to the fish as I sit there in shock.

"You don't think your daughter is marrying an idiot?"

"No I know my daughter would never marry an idiot," he states with a smirk causing us both to chuckle. "We all have bad days and today just wasn't your day. I know you know about her past and have supported her during her panic attacks. More importantly I know you love her and will do everything in your power to protect her and make her happy. With that I accept you as my son-in-law."

"Thank you Ray."

"You're welcome Christian."

 _One week later_

The days have become colder as September sets in. I'm looking over an account on my computer when the intercom draws my attention.

"Mr. Grey," Andrea says. "Ms. Steele is here to see you." My mood suddenly lifts as a grin comes across my face.

"Send her in Andrea and hold all calls until she leaves."

"Yes sir." Within a minute Ana walks in looking as beautiful as ever in a teal sweater and black dress pants with her black jacket on her arm.

"Hi baby, what are you doing here?" She shuts my door but I hear an audible click of the lock.

"I have lunch free and I'm hungry," she states with desire in her eyes. My cock twitches as she throws her jacket on my couch and comes over to my desk. I get up to kiss her but she sits me back down. "I want to play with you is that okay?"

"Sure thing baby. I love you."

"I love you too Christian." Staying in my seat, she places her lips against mine in a hot and needy kiss as she begins to fiddle with my tie. She pulls back, removes my tie, and moves around to the back of my chair. "Feed your hands through the back Christian." I do and feel the tie slip around my wrists. Once she secures them, she walks around to the front removing her top, her shoes, and her pants. Seeing her in her matching black bra and panties makes my dick swell more. "I'm going to fuck you with my mouth and then with my hot pussy Christian."

"God baby you're so hot!" Her lips crash onto mine as her hands work with the zipper to my pants. She springs it free and drops to her knees before me. With her midnight eyes boring into mine, she kisses up the sides of my shaft before licking my head. I hiss as her mouth slides down my length while her tongue swirls around. Up and down her head bobs as she takes me all in and I release multiple moans as I feel my cock hit the back of her throat. She soon releases me and straddles me. Kissing me so I can taste myself on her lips, her hand rubs me a few times before she moves her underwear out of the way and impales herself on me with a feral moan. She places her hands on my shoulders and bounces up and down, slowly riding me as we passionately kiss. She breaks away and pants heavily as she moves faster. I hate not being able to touch her but it's thrilling to have her in control.

"Oh Ana," I moan, feeling myself getting closer.

"Do you like it when I fuck you Christian?"

"I love it Ana! I love my fat cock ramming into your tight pussy over and over again." She reaches around me and unties my tie from my hands.

"Fuck me hard on your desk Christian. Make me cum!" Placing my hands on her delectable ass, I pick her up, move my computer out of the way, and lay her on the desk before thrusting into her harder than before. She arches her back and I gently bite her nipple through her bra. I feel her walls clench around me as she cums, calling my name. I thrust into her a few more times before shooting streams of cum into her. I rest my head in the crock of her neck as we catch our breaths. After we do, I get up and haul her up into my arms.

"I love you so much Christian."

"I love you too Ana." I kiss her gently while she redresses. "Are you still going to go hang out with Kate after work?"

"Yes but it shouldn't take too long. I'll be home in time for dinner."

"Okay have fun. And have a great rest of the day Ms. Steele."

"You do the same Mr. Grey." She winks and kisses me goodbye before sauntering out of my office. As I shut the door behind her, I grin to myself thinking of what we just did. I sit back in my chair, pull out the top left hand draw, and look at the little box. I can't wait for tonight and hope everything goes according to plan.


	23. Chapter 23

APOV

Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I'm anxious to get to the apartment. Well I guess I should really call it home since I live here too. I'm excited to give Christian his gift and see his reaction. I quickly have a flashback of what we did this afternoon in his office and I feel my thighs clench together. God we're going to have to do that again! The elevator finally arrives and I step out. The apartment is dimly lit and I hear the piano being played. As I get closer I recognize it's the song _At the Beginning,_ the first song Christian and I danced to at the gala. I step into the library and my breathing halts in my lungs. Strung from points in the walls that lead up to the ceiling are strands of lights, creating a canopy effect. Below it sits a table for two with dishes covered. And sitting at the piano is the man I love with everything I have. I place the gift down on one of the chairs and walk up behind him, circling my arms around his center.

"Welcome home Ms. Steele," he says with his oh so sexy voice.

"Good evening Mr. Grey," I purr in his ear. "Did you do all of this for me?"

"Sure did baby." He picks up one of my hands and kisses it before he swings around on the piano bench and I fall into his lap, kissing him with all the passion I have. My stomach soon growls and soon Christian is chuckling.

"Let's eat, shall we?" I get off his lap and grab his gift.

"I got you this." He takes it and unwraps the paper surrounding it. It's a dark blue apron with gray lettering above the picture and the buns are lined with silver.

" 'Check out my buns'," he says with the most adorable grin I have seen yet. "Thank you baby I love it."

"I'm glad you do." I chastely kiss him before he pulls out my seat and he uncovers my food. Sitting on the plate is a steak, baked potato, and green beans. My favorite. I look up into his eye as I take the first bite and see a gleam. It tastes amazing and then it hits me. "Did you make this Christian?"

"I did. I made the whole meal and didn't drop anything this time," he states proudly.

"Oh Christian I'm so proud of you! It tastes amazing by the way."

"Thank you." We eat and talk before clearing away the dishes. We come back into the library and he turns on the stereo as I go look out the window at the twinkling city. Soon Haley Reinhart is singing to us.

 _"Wise men say only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you"  
"Shall I stay, would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you"_

I realize what the words are saying and I turn around and soon feel the tears coming to my eyes. Down on one knee is Christian.

"Anastasia, you make me the happiest man on Earth. I would like to honor your father's wishes by showering you with my love for the rest of my life, if you will allow me." I've slumped to the floor in front of him as the tears of joy stream down my face and I can barely contain my sobs. "Ana, will you marry me?"

"Yes! Yes! Oh my God do I even have to say it again? YES!" I lung forward and land in Christian's arms as I continue to cry. When I've calmed down enough, and after Christian has to hold my hand to get the ring on, I see it has a sapphire in the middle surrounded by round cut diamonds. Down along the sides are five diamonds on each side, all set in white gold.

"I love you so much Christian Trevelyan Grey."

"And I love you Anastasia Rose Steele," he whispers as his lips find mine.

 _One month later_

On a mild day in November, a few days after Thanksgiving, I get to marry the man of my dreams. Everyone is rushing around getting last minute things ready while the stylist does my hair with a portion pulled back and down into a braid while the rest of my hair hangs freely. My butterfly clip is holding my hair together along with my veil. My dress has a sweetheart neckline with lace halter-top sleeves with a fit and flare bottom with lace over it too. It has a white belt with an intricate design of flowers on the left hip. After Mom hands me my bouquet of lilies and sunflowers, and after I wipe a tear from her eye, she walks up the aisle with Grace. Next goes Mia with Luke, and finally Kate with Elliot. With Bob on my left and Ray on my right, we are next to proceed. Blue sashes loop from banister to banister. Candles flicker, mounted in the church's windows. Sunflower and lily petals are scattered, thanks to Jason's daughter Sophie, along the gray runner that flows from the doors up to the altar. I see Heather and her husband out of the corner of my eye, seeing her dash away tears. I also find Marcus. Although he looks radically different in a suit, he looks just as happy. But when I meet Christian's gaze, I see his jaw drop as he takes in the sight of me. I nearly miss his eyes softening and seeing a tear slip from his eye. I step to the altar, kiss the men who raised me, and take Christian's hand. The sound of the minister is drowned out as I stare into Christian's loving eyes, my grin still in place. _I can't believe I finally get to marry him._

"Christian, do you take Anastasia as your lawfully wedded wife," the minister asks.

"I do, I do. I do," he states with eagerness. He slides my ring over my finger, next to my engagement ring.

"Anastasia, do you take Christian as your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Oh you bet I do!" The congregation chuckles as I slide his wedding ring on.

"By the power invested in me by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Get to smoochin' you two!" Needless to say, we kiss passionately as the congregation erupted in applause.


	24. Chapter 24

CPOV

After hours of dancing, countless tears, and numerous hugs, Ana and I are off to London, England for our honeymoon. Try to imagine her excitement when I told her where we were going: needless to say she showed me her appreciation a lot that night. We land and head straight for the five star hotel. After the bellhop leaves us, our bodies collide quickly.

"So Mrs. Grey," I state. "Would you like for me to make love to you all night, or would you rather play all night?" She looks up at me with her lust filled dark blue orbs.

"Well Mr. Grey, why not a mixture of both," she whispers in my ear. "But let's play first." I scoop her into my arms and race into the bedroom. After I peel her out of her dress, I see she's wearing a dark red corset that crisscrosses across her stomach and rounds around her hips. It has black ribbon running through it down to her crotch-less panties. I lay her on the bed and ravage her mouth before pulling away.

"I love you Ana."

"I love you too Christian."

"I would like to tie up your feet and hands tonight baby. Is that all right? I'll tie it so you can free your hands and feet at anytime."

"Oh that's fine with me Christian." I walk over to our suitcases and pull out the ties I brought. I also find the toy I brought to surprise her. I saunter back over to her. She puts her right hand up around the bedpost and grips it while I tie her hand. I kiss her arm down to her shoulder before walking over to her other side and repeating the process. I stand at the end of the bed and look at my wife, writhing on the bed even before I have truly touched her. As I tie each foot, I kiss her thighs, watching them jump from my lips. I crawl up her body and seek her lips again. While I kiss her, my hands undo the first hook from the front side of her corset. My lips move from her mouth and kiss her chest after each hook has been undone. I'm already hard as a rock from kissing her alone. After unhooking the last one, her breasts spring free and I stare once again at her beautiful body. "Christian, please touch me somewhere!"

"Patience Mrs. Grey." I remove my clothes and I see her flush at how hard I am for her. "I brought a toy I thought we could try out. If you don't like it just tell me and we won't use it." I walk back over to the suitcase and pick up the white wand with the purple vibrating head. She looks at it with confusion.

"What is that?"

"This is a massager wand." I turn it onto the lowest setting and press it lightly to the arch of her foot.

"Oh now that feels nice." She grins and lays her head back onto the pillow. I put it on the other foot before sneaking up her body and pressing it against her left nipple. "Oh Jesus!" She throws her head back and arches into the wand. Her nipple hardens against the wand while I lick the neglected nipple, watching it harden too. "Oh God Christian!" She pants crazily as I pull it away while she comes down from her orgasm. After she has calmed, I glide the wand down her body until it hits her clit. "Oh shit! Oh my God!" She arches against the toy while I slide my cock into her. God she's soaking! Holding the wand in place, I thrust at a steady pace as her moans and cries fill the room. I feel she's getting close again so I turn up the speed and ram into her faster and deeper. "I'm gonna cum Christian!" She grips my dick with her soaking walls and I release a feral moan. She removes her hands and her feet from the restraints. She moves onto her hands and knees and I glide back into her. We moan in unison as I ram into her and push the wand against her at the highest level. Within a few minutes, she calls out my name again as I find my release too, deep inside her. I remove the toy and pull her close as we enjoy the post sex cuddling before going at it again. We spend each day of our honeymoon traveling to different shops, museums, and historical sites to then be followed by several hours of making love each night. I can say I have found my true happiness and her name is Ana Grey.

 _Four years later_

As I walk away from the kitchen, my grin hasn't left my face since coming home. I walk down the hallway as I hear my lovely wife begin to sing.

 _"Once a lass met a lad  
You're a gentle one, said she."  
"In my heart I'd be glad  
If you loved me for me."_

 _"You say your love is true,  
And I hope that it will be."  
_

I see her sitting in the rocking chair her father made and gave to us. I smile as I walk up behind her to sing the male counterpart.

 _"I'd be sure if I knew,  
That you love me for me."_

She grins up at me, with her gorgeous smile as she continues singing.

 _"Could I be the one you're seeking?  
Will I be the one you choose?"  
"Can you tell my heart is speaking?  
My eyes will give you clues."_

I look over her shoulder and see bright eyes looking up at me.

 _"What you see may be deceiving.  
Truth lies underneath the skin."_

In her left arm lies our four month-old son, Theodore, whom we call Teddy for short. He has his mother's brunette hair but has my gray eyes. He looks up at us as she continues to sing and a smile comes to his face.

 _"Hope will blossom by believing,  
The heart that lies within."_

The other little bundle coos awake and I pat her head. In Ana's right arm is Teddy's twin sister, Phoebe. She is the opposite in Teddy in that she has my hair but Ana's gorgeous light blue eyes.

 _"I'll be yours.  
Together we shall always be as one,"  
If you love me for me."_

I take Phoebe in my arms as I give her the bottle I warmed up. She snuggles into the crook of my arm as she drinks the warm liquid as Ana does the same with Teddy.

 _"Who can say where we'll go.  
Who can promise what will be."  
"But I'll stay by your side,  
If you love me for me."_

 _"If you love me for me."_

After their feeding, they fall asleep and we lay them in their cribs. We sneak away into the library.

"Who would have thought we would end up with twins," Ana questions.

"Who would have thought I would end up with such a loving family?" We lie on the couch, wrapped in each others arms. "I love you Anastasia."

"And I love you Christian." We share a kiss that feels like the first one all over again.

-The End-

 **Author's Note**

Hello all,

I hope everyone enjoyed the ending. Here's a peak at my next story _Captured_ coming out soon.

Peace, love, and hugs,

MaidSlave

APOV

I slowly blink my eyes and try to take in the dark room around me. I shake my head and try to rub my eyes but my arms wont move. I look up and see they're suspended above my head. My heart races enough I can hear it in my ears and my breathing becomes hollow. I try my hardest not to panic but this situation doesn't look the greatest. I look down and see my bare feet are touching cold concrete floor. I'm dressed in a black bra and panty set that is definitely not mine. _Oh God that man drugged me! Oh God someone touched me while I was unconscious!_ I try my best to try to wiggle my hands out of the restraints when a door opens and in walks a man.

"Well hello sunshine, did you have a nice nap," comes the voice from the same man who gave me the water bottle. I feel my brow furrow and my mouth turn to a snarl. "Oh now don't look like that when your master buys you. Look your best when he comes in."


End file.
